The Last Temptation
by Twilight Lament
Summary: Aeris Gainsborough has known almost her entire life that she will be a sacrifice to save Planet and everything on it. Her destiny, something she struggles with often times raging against a cruel fate that will never allow her true happiness, and the guilt
1. And How It All Began

**_The Last Temptation_**

**__**

**_Twilight Lament _**

**_Oct. 2004_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**_Summary_**_: Aeris Gainsborough has known almost her entire life that she will be a sacrifice to save Planet and everything on it. Her destiny, something she struggles with often times raging against a cruel fate that will never allow her true happiness, and the guilt such uncharitable thoughts bring. But when the moment comes, it isn't Aeris that who rocks the tides of fate, but rather the very man who is supposed to kill her. Will that moment lead her to happiness? Or will it end everything?_

**Chapter One:**

How It All Began 

_Chosen…_

_Messiah…_

_Savior…_

I have heard these words for so long. Never spoken aloud though. Oh, no. These names for me come from my ancestors and Planet, whispered in my mind for so long that I no longer remember what it was like not to hear them. You see I am Cetra, the ancient race and caretakers of Planet. Ones gifted with magic and the ability to touch the Lifestream with our minds and hear the dead.

The Lifestream is Planet's Blood: the force from which all living things are created and to where all dead things go either to be reborn or journey elsewhere. Human cannot touch the Lifestream. Well, they can, but few of them survive the experience sane if at all. But I can. I am half Cetra, and I am the last. Maybe that is why Planet talks to me constantly: a never-ending flow of emotions and pictures. I am the only one left to hear.

Sure the Shinra Corporation has infused countless human with Mako energy. But even though what they call Mako is from the Lifestream, it is not the same. Mako is warped, watered down, and twisted. ShinRa created its Soldier Program from Mako, birthed super humans with magic abilities outside of the materia stones.

Those stones are the second defining difference between humans and Cetra. Materia, pieces of the Lifestream that have solidified, hold magic. Each stone infuses its user with a specific type of magic to use. Humans and Cetra both can use material to cast spells. It tends to be harder for humans though. But the Cetra, we can use magic without materia. It's hard for us to do for it requires that we pull directly from the Lifestream. We are the only ones who can, or rather we were.

ShinRa's Soldier Program first created warriors that could use materia far more easily than your average human. Some of them though learned to pull from the Lifestream itself. I take some solace that only of those who could pull from the Lifestream still lives. Not out of jealousy mind you, but concern. The Lifestream is harsh to those not ready for it. It can shred a mind, even upon first contact, much less with repeated touches. Only in death, in that moment of freedom can the human mind or soul slide into the Lifestream unharmed.

Many were infused with Mako. Roughly three quarters of them survived the experience. Of those the survived only one in ten developed a connection to the Lifestream, and of those, only one did not go insane and die, at least not immediately. I said before that I took solace in the fact that only he remains, but perhaps I should not. For he is the most powerful, the strongest, the perfect one. And the one who will try to destroy everything. My bane and my mission: General Sephiroth.

Sephiroth. ShinRa's shining achievement. He became the General of ShinRa's armies within a year of making Soldier, First Class. Rumored to be the best fighter, ever, skilled in magic, and very intelligent. The Lifestream did not destroy him. His mind did not break under its weight. No, something else would push him over the edge.

A little over five years ago he journeyed to the mountains of Nibelheim. Within that tiny village lay one of many ShinRa mansions. A place for those who worked at the outpost , deep within the mountains, to stay. The outpost was one of many, a research facility with a Mako generator, but a darker secret lurked within its rusted walls.

The mission was simple enough. Monsters, powerful ones, threatened the outpost. Sephiroth and a small contingent were sent to remove the threat. A simple mission for a not so simple man.

The monsters that had proved too much for the villagers and even many within the ranks of Soldier were nothing but a minor inconvenience to him. He reached the outpost barely scathed and discovered Jenova, the Calamity from the Skies, and a connection formed, like a bone snapping painfully into place.

He spent all day and all night within the ShinRa mansion, cloistered in its underground library. Only to emerge later with insanity burning inside his Mako hued eyes.

Jenova…his Mother…and Cetra… or so he thought.

Him…inhuman…an experiment…her heir.

His mind wavered with the discoveries and at that moment, Jenova struck. So close to her was he at that moment, so connected. She whispered to him.

"Free me… Help me… Destroy my captors."

And he did just that. The mad General turned upon the town and slaughtered anyone in his path with a misguided rage. He then turned for the outpost with a wake of fire behind him. The screams did not sway him. The smell of burned flesh offered no deterrent. Justice, so he believed, had been served to those cruel to his Mother. A child cried for help and Sephiroth only nudged the fires higher.

A confrontation would happen at the reactor and in the end all the public would know is that the Great General, the Strong Protector, the Hero of Wutai had been killed in a tragic accident. Yet the world would come to know the truth when exactly five years later Sephiroth would returns. Enraged, insane, and still thirsting for vengeance upon all who lived.

He believes himself and Jenova to be Cetra. He believes that he must end the plague known as humans in a rain of fire and a sea of blood. Justice, he believes, will be done.

How do I know this? How have I always known that Sephiroth was alive? Because five years ago Planet screamed in pain and despair. The Lifestream swelled up and I watched the dead pour into it from Nibelheim in seemingly endless waves. So much suffering and death. Planet showed me a glimpse of Jenova's plan and gave me a brief touch to the mind of the Great Genera. At that moment another bone snapped into place.

I, Aeris Gainsborough, last of the Cetra, knew that I would be the one to face him and become hope.

_Chosen…_

_Savior…_

_Messiah…_

I would stop him and Jenova. I would see him for the first time, know thy enemy.

Now I feel it all so much more. In two weeks it will be time. I will die and Holy will be summoned with my dying breath. I will watch my blood run down his sword.


	2. Living a Lie

_**The Last Temptation**_

**Twilight Lament Oct. 2004**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**Chapter 2**

**_Living a Lie_**

I cannot tell them. They would try to stop me, to find another way. I know they would because I do the same every day. What was once abstract and distant to me five years ago now looms over me, a dark cloud I want to escape. Two weeks, so little time. I want to think that I am okay with it all. Dying to save the world is a noble thing right? Who would not want their life to have such meaning?

Anyone who is sane, that's who. I love life, its imperfections and idiosyncrasies. My friends, though I have only known them a short while, are the first that I have ever had in my life. Strong, brave Cloud, spunky Tifa, gruff Barrett, and all of the others I have come to know on this journey. With them I have learned to fight, to struggle against implacable off. My magic is stronger. I am stronger.

Now what I once accepted is unacceptable. So I do not tell them and I will not let them suspect, because my conviction wavers enough. One word from them and I would turn my back on gate if only to live a moment longer. Selfish, but I cannot help the feeling. I'll take what I can get though. Soon I will have to them and journey on my own to the place of my ancestors.

I won't ask why, not now.... Oh crap here comes Cloud. I will have to finish this later.

"Aeris," He said in that boyish, uncertain tone. Cloud is uncertain about many things these days. His past. His future. Himself. I both hope and pray his fate will not follow the General's.

You see Cloud was immersed in Mako as well. In fact I think ShinRa, or rather Hojo, meant to kill him an effort to confirm what levels of Mako are poisonous, but the Soldier flunky surprised them all. He survived.

"Yes?" I looked up at him just as I closed my journal, hoping he would not notice, or at least would not ask. His eyes also colored with the unnatural Mako green shifted to my hands and back again.

"Umm, did you still wanna continue our lessons?" The Lessons! I had forgotten. You see when Cloud and I ran into each other a second time; I has asked him to be my bodyguard. He had hesitated, and then agreed. Part of the deal was that he would teach me to be a better fighter. Sure the large staff I carried could prove potent in the hands of one who knew how to use it. But I mostly used it to carry materia, and to scare off the occasional thug when I had lived in the slums.

Cloud, never one for much patience, hadn't liked the idea, but now I think he enjoys the lessons as much as I. It is a simple act in world now hemmed in complications and very real dangers. Teaching me the proper way to club someone over the head was a surmountable task. Unlike trying to figure out how he, the Soldier flunky, would defeat the most renowned and revered warrior of our time.

I tucked my journal underneath my pillow and even though several eyes saw, I know no one would dare. Personal privacy was one thing we all respected, because we all had out secrets. The fire crackled and over the licking flames, Tifa's eye met mine. Jealousy and pain. I saw them clearly. She rose. Tifa always joined our training sessions. She did it to be close to Cloud, to prevent him from drawing closer to me.

_You ungrateful bitch!_ I wanted to scream at her. _I'm going to die so you all can live! At least let me have what time will allow!_ I knew the thoughts were uncharitable. Tifa loved Cloud and had loved him for a long time. They were children together, and because of that there were things about Cloud Tifa would always know that I would not. Besides Tifa doesn't have a clue what I must do, and I suspect that if she did, Tifa would have ceded the field.

I offered her a smile. One she returned with a bit of uncertainty at first. _That's right Aeris_. I told myself. _Smile and enjoy. Smile and do not let them see_. Our small group only went far enough away to prevent hitting anyone else.

Beside me Tifa stopped, a staff balanced a little precariously in her hand. Tifa had never touched a weapon beyond metal knuckles until recently. She was an out standing hand-to-hand fighter, but at Cloud bumbling instance she was taking lesions with me. The memory sprang up unbidden, but not unwelcome.

-

_"What? Cloud I already know how to fight," Came Tifa's incredulous reply. She was right. Even I was perplexed over Cloud's proclamation that she would train in staff use with me._

_"But you're a girl," He stated in his masculinity as if that explained everything. It explained something to Tifa all right. Her eyes narrowed in ire, and her hands closed into dangerous fists as she rose to her feet. I admit, his words angered me as well._

_"And just what Mr. Soldier-boy, is that supposed to mean?" Cloud gained immediate insight for once in his life. Both hands came up in front of him, waving in denial._

_"No...No... Not... I mean...here." He stuttered out and acted where words failed him. Both his hands locked over Tifa's wrists. I though he was just trying to keep her from knocking the crap out of him. But he pulled her closer, then extended his arms up and out. One arm positioned on either side of her head. "Now, lift your arms up, stretch them as far as you can towards me."_

_"Oh, I will all right," Tifa muttered, still contemplating knocking him over. But her fingertips did not even reach his chest, no matter how hard she tried. _

_"See?" He asked and for emphasis he grabbed her shoulders. Understanding dawned on us both. "I can grab you before you get in range of me." With a sudden spurt of motion, Tifa shoved Cloud to the ground. Her fists pressed angrily against her hips._

_"If you were fast enough to catch me you arrogant jerk!" Tifa's small fram radiated anger._

_"Ow, damnit, Ti. Look, I'm just trying to help." Cloud picked himself up off the ground with an easy grace. A warning sounded in my head, but too late. Cloud, lightening fast, grabbed her. One of his arms trapped both of her against her sides and his free hand gripped her throat. "Not everyone is as fast as me, Tif." His voice strong for the first time in days, and so solemn. "But even I'm not as fast at him." -Him-. Sephiroth. The dark cloud under which we all traveled. His point made, Cloud released and sighed. The serious Soldier gone and replaced by the boy we knew. One hand ran through his spiky blonde hair. "I really didn't mean that the way is sounded. And... I know I can't make you as good as him. But... we all gotta try to be at our best."_

_I heard the fear in his voice. That dark undercurrent that overshadowed even the glow of Mako in his eyes. Not just for himself, but for us, especially for me. I was no fighter, no challenge at all for the Great Sephiroth. Cloud wanted to change that, give us both a needed edge. Tifa looked away, her ascent nothing more than a short bob of her head._

-

I remember it all well. But most of all I remember Tifa's righteous fury as she bent over a stunned Cloud with one finger wagging in his soft. My soft laugh drew both sets of eyes.

"Aeris?" He asked. I waved one hand.

"Nothing," But I could not help the grin. I wished I could have talked to Tifa's mind and sent her the image. Perhaps even share a private laugh while Cloud began his lecture where the last lesson had left off.

I looked at him and the confident pose. This one was not faked though. Teaching combat put Cloud on familiar ground. A simple task in a not so simple world.

Today he wanted to work on bettering our skills at using materia in combination with our weapons. That suited me just fine. I was far better at that than just using my staff. He worked us with the fervor of a drill sergeant, and even if I stopped wanted the lessons, I know I will keep them up if only to give him a few hours of respite from his confusion.

Later, I sank exhausted into my bedroll. Another good thing about practice, I did not think so much on what was to come, and sleep always comes blessedly fast. I realized something though as I closed my eyes. I loved Cloud. Before I could dwell, sleep took me into dreamless oblivion.

* * *

**Jaded Echo** – Thanks! And here you go!


	3. One Last Chance

**The Last Temptation**

****

**Twilight Lament Oct. 2004**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**Chapter Three **

**_One Last Chance._**

****

Today we packed up camp and once again set out on foot. I know we should take a vehicle or even the chocobo's, but I cannot bear it. You see tomorrow, even by foot, we will reach the Temple of the Ancients. Within it is the black materia. If, when, Sephiroth gains the magic stone, my ending begins. At least on foot I will have a little more time. Should I not be speeding towards my destiny with surety and strength? Maybe, but either way I am going right? That should be enough. I just want this bit of selfishness, a few more hours to spend with them.

I heard them up ahead and could not help but look. Tifa and Cloud arguing again. A smile rose and my heart lightened if just a little. I loved him, but in the past few days I have some to love them all with the same strength. For them I would do this and not be sorry. Just loving Cloud brought despair at what I would never know, loving them all gives me new strength even when my own fades.

He would marry her one-day. This I know. The obviousness of it seems only lost upon them. I saw Nanaki and Barrett exchange amused glances as the two ahead kept bickering about nothing in particular. Vincent, ever silent, walked next to me as we guarded the back trail. At first glance we were not the logical choice, I know. The ex-ShinRa employee and a mere slip of a girl. But, I feel Planet and what it knows, I know. And Vincent? His loyalty to ShinRa was long since dead, buried under a mountain of blood and betrayal, heartbreak and death. At second glance, we were the perfect choices.

The woods thickened and soon speculation became a distant thought as much of my attention was drawn into traversing the massive roots and twisted foliage. It seemed nature itself strove to cut us off from the old Temple. Perhaps it was, maybe the forest was another way to hide the terrible secret that lurked at its heart.

_Would **he** have any problems?_ I wondered and the immediate answer was no. The General would not tarry to climb over what he could just as easily but through. That is if he chose to walk at all.

I remembered that sword from a memory that had not yet happened. Its length and wicked curve, an edge that tapered into a single sharp point. It knew no mercy, only killing. The same as the man who wielded it with such eerie grace. I held back a sigh. _Soon_. The future echoed in my mind.

"Aeris?" His voice always surprised me. Vincent spoke in a rough tone. Perhaps caused by years, decades even of sleeping in a coffin within that damnable ShinRa mansion, or had he always sounded this way? I discovered a great need to know the answer, to know this man who had been tortured by them, and who he had been before.

"Just thinking," I forced the smile. _Be cheery. Be brave. Love them. Do not let them see._

"Anything you need to share?" I blinked and wondered if he had guessed. But the look in his red eyes showed only a friendly concern. I shook my head and he nodded, accepting my denial. He too had secrets, many of them in fact, and knew that sometimes secrets must be kept. "Do you know anything about this Temple?"

"No, no really. My Mother, she did not have time to tell me everything before she died." Another sigh, another stab of pain. I "talked" to my Mother daily, but it is not what most would think. Her voice is a sleepy murmur in the back of my head. Most of the time I cannot understand the words, only know that she is there.

I remember her touch and the smell of her hair. All of those small comforts. They believed it was the same. As if she were still alive. I let them believe it, because I needed to believe it myself. But I missed my Mothers hugs.

"Ah," He nodded again, accepting my explanation, and it was a true one. I did not know about the Temple, other than what it held. I knew it would be a critical point. The place where my path would be decided. No going back. I picked up my pace as those thoughts crossed my mind. Maybe we should have used Chocobo's and gotten here faster. Maybe we can beat him to it. Take the black materia before Sephiroth arrives.

Vincent's brows rose in question as I strode forward even faster, but he said nothing, only sped up with me. Hojo had used Vincent as another test subject. His body so altered that beneath the concealing cloak he sometimes did not look human. The benefit was that he moved faster and had far more endurance than humans, the down side was the pain he carried.

We all but flew past Nanaki and Barrett, past Cloud and Tifa who were laughing at their earlier silliness. Nanaki and Barrett stopped talking, Cloud and Tifa stopped laughing. A silent look from Vincent egged them on as well as Yuffie, Cid, and Cait Sith.

Now the woods parted before me as Planet moved its will for its last child. I heard my friends gasp as tree limbs slid from our path and plants wove together to form stable bridges over mud holes and pitfalls. But I, I had a purpose in mind and could not be slowed to explain this miracle to them. Maybe Planet thinks this will work? I hoped with all of me.

Our journey through those woods had been dangerous. Many times our skills had been called upon to fight back the monsters that hid in the shadows. But at that moment, the monsters in those woods no longer bothered me. Nothing more than nuisances. Without thinking, I cast Haste and within the green glow of the materia, I sped past their gapping, hungry maws and left a wake of wind and dead leaves behind. I heard the creatures roar in anger and soon other forms sped along side me. Nanaki and Vincent ran without the aid of magic. Cloud carried Tifa while Yuffie hitched a ride on Cid's back, and Barrett trailed a few feet behind us.

Faster, I urged the magic and soon outpaced them. Freedom. Exhilaration. A beast, one of the faster wolfen types leapt out from above. Its intent was to tackle me to the ground. I heard its hunger, but I felt no fear. Cloud's voice echoed in my ears. A memory from our first lesson.

_"Prepare for impact, but be ready to avoid it."_

I gathered myself, the staff extended out behind me.

_"See your target. See the exchange. See what you will do and when, then execute."_

Anger welled within me that this thing, this creature sought to tear me away when I was so close to changing the fates.

My staff lashed out and caught the creature alongside its head. The sickening sound of breaking bones, a spray of blood and a pain filled yelp. The creature fell dead at my feet and served as another stepping-stone. I never broke stride, not once.

Freedom.

Exhilaration.

Know they enemy.

I do not know why those words echoed in my head just then, but I allowed my thoughts to follow that course as unerringly as my feet followed the tug in my blood towards the Temple.

Is that how you felt, Sephiroth? During that fateful journey to Nibelheim? Everything a bother when something else called to your blood? Something you could not understand? I felt the need to know the answers to those questions in that moment. But wind rang hollow in my ears and before I knew it, I broke the cover of trees. My legs stopped so quickly that my momentum almost pitched me face first into the dirt.

In front of me loomed the stone monolith of the Temple complex. Moss grew alone the massive stones that had been moved painstakingly into place thousands of years before. Grand statues stood in regal pose above the doorways. My ancestors. Their watchful gaze locked onto the forest beyond.

But something was not right. The soft hum I had heard, that had led me here changed, became fearful, and I knew a sinking dread. My speed had not outpaced him, had not outpaced my destiny.

My heart sank right into the bottoms of my comfortable, but admittedly ugly brown shoes. The anger at the creatures before faded and was replaced by dread then a grudging acceptance. The others came to a halt behind me and none offered a word on my performance in the woods.

I called the smile and it came. Without further word, Cloud, Cait Sith, and myself stepped into the Temple. The rest would stand guard and alert us if Sephiroth arrived. I had not the heart to tell them that he was already here. Maybe because I did not want to believe it myself.

We three stepped into the Temple. Not even a breath of air stirred the dust moats hanging about. The place was so quiet and solemn, but once I stepped within it, the voices of my ancestors strengthened. A groan caught our attention, but the shadows were too thick to permeate.

I ran towards the sound and stumbled onto Tseng, the leader of ShinRa's Turks. A group of people devoted to the nastier deeds the corporation needed done. He rested against a pedestal, one arm wrapped around his mid section from which blood oozed.

Cloud and Cait Sith crouched beside me. I touched his hand and Tseng stirred, but only a little. When I lifted his arm, I saw the work of Masamune. Right below his sternum was a hole; one that I knew ran clear through his back. I held the shudder back, that wound was almost identical to the one I would soon have.

"Aeris," Tseng lacked even the strength to cough when a new surge of blood filled his lungs. His breath rattled horribly and I knew that even my magic could not save him. "Stop him." And with those words Tseng died.

That this man had devoted years to my capture and return to ShinRa did not matter. No one deserved to die like that, cold and alone.

"I will," And I meant it, not matter the cost I would stop Sephiroth.

We ventured deeper into the Temple. Many monsters stood in our path, but my anger and Cloud's burned too strong for them to stop us. My ancestors guided us through the puzzles and traps meant to slow down the unwanted. I hoped this meant he had not yet reached the black materia, that there was still time.

It was so strange, so alien. I had never felt like that before. I never once dreamed that I could be so angry, that I could hate. But those creatures that sprang at us from all sides, eating up precious time and energy I did indeed hate.

It was not until Cloud touched my shoulder and drew from the strange trance that I stopped swinging my staff. The last foe fell at my feet, and I knew no pity for it. I always had before. Monsters with their twisted forms and deformed purpose. It was not their fault, not really, but could not forgive them now.

Before us, the final door. Upon the other side of the stone portal rested the sacred chamber. Nestled inside would be the black material. My pulse quickened even though I forgot to breath for a second or two.

Upon entering the ceremonial chamber something new greeted us. A massive red dragon. Dragons you see are the most dangerous sorts of monster. Their tough hide and magical capabilities make them ferocious adversaries indeed. I found myself in awe of the creature. Its power and stature unmistakable and as the inevitable fight ensued, I fully understood why dragons were so feared.

It took everything that we had to best the creature and even when it finally fell before us, we were tired. Panting with exertion. I felt a tremor along my skin and I forced my eyes open upward.

All around us murals stretched upon the walls and ceiling. They told of Jenova, the Calamity from the Skies, and its arrival here. Two thousand years ago the alien creature had come and in a fit of arrogance and jealousy had tried to destroy the world. It called forth Meteor with the power of the black materia. Into Planet, it crashed meteor and created a wound so large that all heard Planet's agony.

I did not read the wall, nor did I listen to the story retold to my companions by Sephiroth who stood at the end of the chamber. No, I felt the voices of my ancestors and the Planet wail the tale of woe in my thoughts. Thousands died in the impact, and thousands more perished in the resulting earthquakes and broken tides. Planet pulled from the Lifestream and strove to heal the wound. It tired together the broken pieces of its rocky flesh.

At the same time my kin sealed up Jenova who was weak from the summoning. They spent centuries afterwards pouring their energies into Planet to help the wound. A wound that still exists in the highest reaches, hidden beneath snow and ice. With the drain of the Lifestream in the form of Mako and the still healing wound, Planet would not survive another impact.

It all washed over me even as Sephiroth talked on about how he would become a God in the swell of the Lifestream within the wound he would create. A God, everything within him. He radiated a sick joy, but all I felt was pain and sorrow.

I almost lost myself to it, but then Cloud went partly insane. Sephiroth reached inside of him and touched the Jenova cells that Shinra had implanted inside of the Cloud. The General called to his Brother.

"No! Cloud!" I grabbed him by the shoulders.

_See?_

"Please, Cloud." He shook in my hands and laughed Sephiroth's laugh. His glowed with Mako and no sense, nor rhyme or reason existed within them.

_Yes, Planet, I see._

"CLOUD!" He jerked one more time then stop. His eyes cleared and turned to him, his deliverer.

_Aeris-child will go?_

"I… what happened?" His voice shook and I think maybe my hands were the only thing keeping him upright.

_Yes, Planet, I will go when and where I am needed_.

"It's okay, Cloud. He's gone."

Sephiroth had vanished, but something was wrong, or rather right. Even though the mad General had relieved of us of his presence, the black materia was still here. I could feel its presence. I blinked, up ahead stood a replica of the Temple upon a pedestal.

Cait Sith ambled up to the tiny struture and his stuffed hands curled around it very carefully. Upon his action the entire Temple rumbled and groaned.

"I see," The over stuffed fortune telling machine began, "This Temple is the materia." Cloud, wonderful, but sometimes-slow Cloud, could only say with his usual eloquence….

"Huh?"

"The Temple is the materia. This replica is the key. With each puzzle solved…" His words trailed off and his large mechanical body moved towards the mural. "Yes, yes I see! Each time a puzzle is solved, the Temple proper shrinks. So we will have to take the replica out!"

"No," I recognized my voice, though it was the thoughts of my kin that I spoke. "The puzzles have to be solved here, no where else. The replica cannot be moved."

"Excellent," Sith cried, "A wise ploy indeed by your Ancients, Ms. Aeris. He cannot gain the materia without destroying himself!" Hope flickered.

"No," Cloud shook his head. "He has too many flunkies, too many clones. They'd just get it for him," And then hope died again.

"I will do it," Cait Sith said. His voice calm, though he really had no reason to be afraid. The man who controlled the mechanical creature before us was miles away from here. "Just wait outside and take it when I'm done."

Odd that I would feel affection for something that was not even alive. More so because the one who controlled it was still an employee of ShinRa, and had betrayed us before. But he would be okay where the rest of us would die in the attempt. Upon impulse I hugged the stuffed toy.

"Thank you," I whispered though he would never know why. None of them would. We would have the black materia, and we would keep it from the General. No more death, no more crippling blow to Planet. It would all be over soon.

"C'mon Aeris, We gotta go." Cloud was right. I released Cait Sith and ran from the ceremonial room with Cloud at my side. It was far easier to back track. We knew the way after all. Cloud helped me over the worst of the rubble, but near the entrance, his hand lingered longer in mine.

"Aeris, I…" I covered his mouth with my hand.

"Cloud, don't. If I… I mean, if things are okay in a few days then tell me, but not now."

He started to fight me, but I think the pleading look in my eyes stopped him. He nodded, a reluctant motion of his head before he released my hand.

When we exited, he moved to the others and told them of what happened. But I remained near the doorway and looked upon one of the last legacies of my people. The structure really was breathtaking despite the reason for its creation. I felt a bit sad that soon this monolith would be no more.

Over the com links we all heard Cait Sith as he struggled with the puzzle box. His excited words timed perfectly with each deep rumble from the temple when he solved one. This task was his redemption for helping ShinRa, for betraying us and allowing Sephiroth to gain entry. Soon the tremors grew stronger and bits of stone and wood careened from the Temple's top towards the ground.

Yuffie cried out and leapt to one side. A rather large piece of stonework just barely missed her. The others moved back even more and looked upon the Temple in trepidation. I did not, too caught up in the moment to care. I think Cloud started towards me, but suddenly a bright light burst from the craggy seems. The others had to look away.

But I could not. It hurt my eyes and I wondered if the light might not blind me.

It shrunk in slow degrees and I strained each sense. I searched for any inkling, any tremor in the Lifestream that would mean his presence. Nothing, all was quiet save for the building that was too busy turning in on itself to notice anything else. It seemed like hours, but probably only minutes passed before the noise reached its peak. Dust rose from the pulverized stone and then light faded and so did the sound, leaving nothing but a pyramid shaped hole where the Temple used to stand. At the bottom, amid the rubble, a small piece of rock glowed with its own darkness.

We all climbed down. Cloud was the fastest, the first to reach it. His hands shook as he bent down and scooped it up.

"So small," Came his marveled whisper, and I knew he felt the heat of it, even through his gloves. "Can we use it?" He looked to me, half afraid that I might say yes.

"No," He signed in relief, "You need great amounts of spiritual energy to use this."

"What about him?"

"I…" I frowned. "He shouldn't…but…"

"What?" Tifa asked. Her voice was so soft that I almost did not hear her.

"I should not, because…" Everyone turned and there he was. No warning at all. "I am not an Ancient." No one could move, not even me. Sephiroth walked down the steep, jagged slope of the crater as if it was nothing more than a grassy path, straight to me. "But you know, little Cetra, that I have spent time in the Lifestream," His voice softened for my ears alone, such an intimate tone. His words smooth as silk and as lethal as the wicked sword at his side. "That I rival your race in knowledge and power." His expression never wavered from delighted madness. "You of all should not try to stop me. I will end the planet's suffering."

"You… have… no… right!" I heard the strength grow in my voice. He smirked and stepped back. Over his shoulder he looked at Cloud who was suddenly frozen to the spot like the rest of us and still holding Planet's bane. Some part of me recognized the paralysis spell.

"Wake up little puppet." Time sped up even as it slowed down. Cloud shook all over and agony breached his eyes. A man at war with himself and loosing. Sephiroth would not be happy to just take the materia. No, he had to stab another knife into Cloud's heart.

And mine.

Sephiroth whistled like one would for a disobedient pet. Cloud's leg shook and unbidden it stepped forward, dragging his reluctant body behind. I watched as his mouth widened in pain and he beat his free hand repeatedly against his head. Helpless we watched. My mind screamed and I fought against the spell holding me in place.

Cloud came two steps closer. My thoughts slammed against the barrier and I reached with all my might, all of desperation to the Lifestream.

It answered.

I spoke the words of dispel and lurched forward when my limbs once more came under my control. No time to release the others. No time for any sane thought.

I threw myself forward, right at Cloud. In that moment I was prepared to fight him tooth and nail, and I realized that I had not accepted my fate at all. I would harm a friend to save myself. But Cloud tossed me aside, nothing more than a nuisance. Rock bit into my hands and hip when I landed with a jolt so strong that my jawed snapped closed, catching my lip between my teeth. The taste of blood flooded my mouth, but this time I did not allow myself to rise. I would not hurt Cloud. Shame descended and I could not bear to look, though I felt Cloud's hand reach out. Something cold closed around my heart at the same moment Sephiroth's hand closed around the black materia.

Only then did I look and see Cloud on his hands and knees in front of his tormentor. Still struggling, still fighting, still loosing. The General patted his spiky, blonde head.

"Good puppet," Then those cold green eyes turned to me, luminous and frightening. "So close, little Cetra."

Then to my mind alone.

_I will see you again._ His thoughts were an unwelcome caress. I shuddered back from them. His grin only widened and in a blink he was gone.

"Oh Gods, OH GODS, what have I done?" Cloud's pain woke me from my own. I crawled to him and refused to cry.

"Hush, Cloud it's okay… Everything will be okay."

_Aeris-child, it is time._

"Aeris, oh gods Aeris, I'm sorry I hurt you." In a hysterical fit he grabbed onto me. Both arms locked around my chest until I found it hard to breath.

_I know. I just have to see to him, Planet._

_Yes, you hurt me._ I thought. _Just not in the way you think._

"No," I stroked his hair and back to calm him. "It's okay, Cloud."

I wanted to be angry for a moment. But as he clung to me, a broken child with a fractured mind, I only felt his agony. They would think he collapsed, but I put him to sleep, and hopefully to heal.

That night, I watched them all around him, worried and scared. None saw me slip away. Though I felt an impulse that I could not stop even as I walked away. Though the Lifestream, I touched Cloud's tattered mind.

_Don't worry._ I told him. _I will take care of everything Cloud. Watch over them for me, and take care of yourself._ He strained to reach me and I did not know it then, but his mind managed to pick a few stray images from mine. He tried to follow me through the Lifestream, but I held him back until another presence through me out of the link entirely. A loathed touch. Sephiroth knew that I was coming.

I wanted to run back to them, to be safe with them, but somehow I found the strength to take one step and then another, and another. On and on it went until the blanket of night gave way to daybreak.

Upon that morning I realized that I was beginning my true journey. Short though it would be. Everything else had been just a precursor.

I miss you all, and I hope Cloud is doing okay.

I hope I can accept my destiny.

* * *

**A/N: **Okay I feel the need to say a couple of things here that I probably should have said in the first chapter 1.) This is slightly A/U-ish 2.) Some game events are missing or in opposite order. Part of that reason is because I wanted to change them, and the other part is because of my faulty memory… heh. Also I've written over half of this story already, but with pen and paper. So now I'm typing it all out, which I hate. I am trying to get around two chapters up a day but I can't guarantee I won't procrastinate here and there -sheepish look-.

Now onto the most important part (besides the story of course)…the "thank yous"

**Tacofoolio** – Glad you are enjoying the story. My favorite chapters (so far) are in process of being typed.

**Noacat** – Heh. I am truly happy you like it so much. I wasn't too sure about the format at first, but decided the risk might be worth it. To be honest, from what's in the game I would say an AeriSeph is so far out there as to be impossible, but a little and there and ya never know what you might get. Thanks for the luck, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well!


	4. New Friends at the Right Time

**_The Last Temptation_**

**_Twilight Lament Oct. 2004_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**_Chapter Four_**

**_ New Friends at the Right Time_**

Chocobos are often skittish creatures. Large birds with long legs fit for running. Most often you see the yellow ones, hence the nickname "giant chickens." The yellow ones are only fit got good, flat terrain. But there are others. Ones to cross rivers and others to cross mountains, but centuries of hunting have thinned the wild herds to near extinction.

You mostly find them in good breeding farms now. Still even if I could find one in the wild it would do me no good. You see, I need to cross rivers and mountains, a job for the fabled black chocobo. There has only been one report of a black chocobo in the wild in the last fifty years. Then again I also needed to cross the ocean and for that, I would need a gold chocobo. I don't think anyone has ever seen one of those running wild in recorded history.

This is a problem. I need to travel fast, and I need to anonymous travel as well. No boats, no trains. I could try summoning, but I have never attempted such a powerful magic without the benefit of materia to aid me.

Chewing on my lower lip is an old thinking habit of mine. I think my lip has started bleeding this time. Granted during all this thinking I have not remained idle. I've been walking and writing in this silly book. But traveling on foot for another day simply will not do. The spell I placed upon Cloud will fade in a day or two. So… I will have attempt a summoning.

Silly girl… Silly Cetra.

First though, came camp. A summoning without the aid of materia would leave me weak.

Up ahead I hear water, probably a good place to make camp. Though even now I can hear Barrett….

_"Listen up city girl. Ya always be wantin' ta camp near water y'hear?!?!" _

I had nodded to him then. He was a lot like Cloud. Barrett wanted us all to be prepared.

I miss him.

In my haste to leave, I forgot to take a tent. Just a bedroll and a tarp, real smart Aeris. But when I arrived at the stream there was a small copse of trees with interlocking branches, I knew it would be okay. With the tarp spread over them, I should stay dry even if it rains. With the help of a fire spell, I'll have a comfortable little nest in fact.

Pride swelled within me as I looked around. I was, as Barrett put it, a city girl after all. Granted I was a city girl that was directly connected to the planet. But Planet did not have any better of an idea how to make a proper camp than I had before. Why would it? No, this I learned from my friends.

Thanks guys, even now I couldn't do this without you.

After dinner and a very deep breathe, I moved away from the camp with a small bag of white sand in my hand and my staff in the other. Nested with its wooden length was my materia: one for time, protection, fire, and a few more. Basic stuff that most new weapons are outfitted with anyway. The most important pieces I left with my friends.

They would need them.

With the sand, I prepared the summoning circle. My Mother's words from long ago, when I was just child, whispered to me again, guiding my hands in creating the proper shape with every tiny detail. Summoning could be very dangerous even with materia. The caster must never waver in will during the spell. If they did it would fail, or worse what was summoned would turn upon the one who called it. But lucky for me, Chocobos usually aren't aggressive and I had decided to leave the spell open ended. I would not force one here, but I would ask for its help.

My Mother and Planet agreed that it was the best course of action.

I knelt in the circle that would offer some protection from outside influences. The staff lay before my knees, and I felt the cold of the ground sink into my bones. I tried not to think of the next time I would perform this same action.

Hands clasped together and eyes closed, I began the ancient chants. The words of my people slid from my lips. Soon the cold was vanquished and the hum of power, the Lifestream, poured into me. It was everything and nothing. Searing heat and intense cold. My mind took hold of the force and shaped it to my will. Time stretched on and the sun faded into a many hued glory before night reigned. When the moon reached its peak, I stopped chanting. The spell complete.

Only my staff allowed me to gain my feet, and without its aid my shaking legs would never have made it back to camp. All I remember is falling onto the bedroll and sleep overtaking me.

"Silly little Cetra," I awoke with a start. _That voice? No, no, no! It was too soon!_ My legs, still weak and wobbly refused to lift me. "Why do you fight inevitable? You of all should know better." My eyes darted around the glade, looking for one broken shadow, one gleam of silver…Nothing.

"I won't let you do this!" Proud that though my voice was rough in sleep, it did not waver in conviction. The same could not be said for the rest me. Fear thundered through my veins in strong waves.

"Folly, this road you travel." He sounded closer, but still nothing I could see, and the Lifestream was eerily silent.

"You have no right, Sephiroth," Something, a glimmer of white on the periphery of my vision. I turned.

"I have every right," He stepped forth from the darkness, a demon emerging from hell, yet I understood how he could be worshipped as a God. Hair, the color of woven moonlight, spilled down from the crown of his head past his waist. Every strand moved in a hypnotic rhythm with every motion that he took, each breath of wind that ruffled the silvery strands. Tall and well built, but not bulky in the least, and shrouded in black with pale skin. His glowing green eyes completed his etheric countenance. Perhaps his face could be thought almost feminine if such power and strength did not run through him. No, nothing about this man was soft.

He moved closer, a panther stalking its prey. I fought to rise, to run, but the blankets had coiled in snake's loops about my tired legs and refused to relinquish their constrictor's hold.

No! I can't die, not now! It's too soon! My thoughts screamed and fear struck me a painful blow when his boots came to a halt before me. No sound, no even the creak of leather not the clink of metal emanated as he crouched, arms draped over his knees.

"I will do what you cannot, little Cetra. I will free the planet of its pain, of the human parasites."

"By killing it and everything on it?" I asked with the incredulous defiance I could muster. If I were to die, it would not be in fear.

"Silly Cetra," Anger rose. I quickly grew tired of the condescending nickname. "My way brings a true end to the planet's pain and never again will it suffer." His eyes locked to mine and I could not escape the hypnotic pulse within the Mako depths. "Stop fighting me, last of the Ancients." He drew closer until his breath touched my face. "Choose me." His hand lifted and reached out. That broke whatever spell he had woven and I found the strength to strike out at the beautiful face, weeping as I did.

In the next moment, when I bolted up out of my bedroll, I was truly awake.

"Choose me." The words followed by his laughter echoed, though whether for real or just a remnant of the dream, I did not know.

I wrapped my arms around myself and almost broke into tears. Alone in the forest I was easy prey indeed. He could kill me anytime he wanted. He knew it and I knew it. I wondered if that was why he invaded my dream; just to sink that harsh reality into my head. I was headed for all and out despair, but a nervous chitter and flutter of wings pulled me from my terror.

Behind me, frightened by my earlier actions, stood a black chocobo. It snorted and cast its about in nervousness. Black, I had hoped and literally prayed for a gold one, but at least I could cross the continent fast. I would just have to find another way to cross the sea.

As I calmed and managed to stop shaking, the creature picked its way towards me, still wary, but mirroring my calm. I wished I could have said my sudden peace was real. It butted its head into my chest. The creature found assurance in my soft scratching behind its ears. A soft coo brought a smile. Both the great bird and I relaxed.

I noticed the dappling upon the ground, between the trees' leaves – sunlight. At least I slept the night through, even if my dreams were disturbed at best.

Breakfast for myself and bird came first. I moved slowly, still drained from the summoning, but I was surprised that it only took me an hour to pack up camp. Then again, I did not have that much to begin with anyway.

"We need a name for you," I said to the creature. It stood perfectly still so that I could strap the packs to its back. "I know, Sedekia. It means strong companion."

The bird tilted its head and I could have sworn it was actually considering the name. It shook its head vigorously a moment later.

"What? You don't like Sedekia?" It chirped. "Hmm, okay, how about…" I tapped my chin in thought as I leaned against its warm side, " how about Vaserian?"

The chocobo cooed and whistled. Its wings flapped vigorously if uselessly by its sides.

Vaserian

Faithful Deliverer.

How fitting.

All right, Vaserian then." With a stump providing a leg up, I climbed onto Vaserian's back. "Let's go."

It bolted from the clearing. I think perhaps sensing my urgency. I realized how riding a black chocobo neared the thrill of flying. Vaserian devoured the ground in long, powerful strides. And I leaned into the wind as it pulled my hair back in whips to tail out in a banner behind me.

His soft feather cradled me over the hard jolts and kept me warm again the wind. I threw my arms out to either side and simply enjoyed the moment.

We were an army, Vaserian and I, racing across the wild lands to say world, and nothing could stop us. Daydreaming can keep one sane you know.

With his speed, we would be well into the mountains by nightfall, but I doubted we could make it across before then. The thought occurred to me to make camp before the mountains and attempt the ragged peaks with the full view of daylight and a fresh start for Vaserian and myself. But I had lost too much time already. We would have to push on in the night.

So I leaned closer to him and balanced my weight where he could carry it best. In my mind _his_ laughter echoed. Part of me hoped the strong mountain winds would drown it out.


	5. The Anger Beast

**_The Last Temptation_**

**_Twilight Lament Oct. 2004_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**_Chapter Five_**

**_The Anger Beast_**

The mountains proved far more arduous than I had anticipated. Vaserian's pace slowed to a near crawl as he navigated the dangerous scaffolding of rock and dirt. All of it covered in treacherous snow and ice. After the first mishap, I used a continuous scanning spell to search for other nefarious pitfalls hidden beneath the white blanket.

The cold grew bitter when the last weak rays of the sun vanished into night, and my cloak did little to keep the wind at bay. Its icy fingers crawled in every open space and left a numbing chill wherever it touched. Vaserian did not seem to mind the cold as much as I, so I huddled closer to his back and snuggled into the blanket of warm, soft feathers.

Heat spread into my extremities and brought drowsiness with it. I dared not sleep though. Vaserian needed my aid and in this inhospitable clime that demanded a slower pace for cautions sake, he could no longer out run the monsters. I heard them now and again. Hardy creatures they were that howled in tune with the wind.

We must be a rare treat to their eyes. I only hoped there was not too many of them. Vaserian heard them too and he talked to me in nervous clicks. My fingers moved to scratch his neck and offer some kind of comfort.

We will be all right. I thought at him. Oddly he quieted and bent his head into the wind.

The higher we climbed, the colder it became and I though it could not get any worse. A word of advice, never, ever think that, because the moment you do, things do get worse. Anyway, I was wrong. Dark clouds rolled in and blocked out the few feeble streams of light the moon provided. Sharp as a knife the wind now screamed its fury from the mountain peaks and below. Finally loud enough to drown out his haunting laughter, but that was a mixed blessing at best.

I started scanning the rocks and overhangs for any sign of shelter. Neither I, nor Vaserian could take much more of this hell. At first the never-ending white sea yielded nothing. But after an hour of searching a small crevice, possibly the precursor to something larger, caught my attention.

Either Vaserian really could understand me, or he spotted it at the same time I did. He turned and his pave picked up with the promise of leaving the biting wind for a while. As we neared my heart rose. The mouth of a cave and it looked large enough for both of use to fit easily inside.

Then, without warning, four large figures crashed into the snow all around us. Saliva dripped in threads form long fangs and the beasts' eyes glowed a dull, venomous read. Their bodies were huge and covered in layers upon layers of fur for protection. Upon their heads three gleaming, black horns spiraled towards the sky.

They had tracked us all day. I felt stupid for not have realized this before. Of course they would wait until the rough terrain had sapped most of our strength. But the surprises were not over yet.

Imbedded in each of their chests was a piece of materia. Ice materia in fact. Either by luck or divine intervention I was wearing my Mother's bracelet with a piece of ice materia within it. Such a combination offered me protection from the cold and with Vaserian so close; it would offer him protection as well. I realized with some disjointed part of my brain that the bracelet was probably the only reason that I had survived that long.

My fingers, warmed beneath Vaserian's coat wrapped easily around my staff. The first one leapt. I squeaked in surprise, as Vaserian twisted with the grace a cat would envy. My legs clamped about his body in a bit to stay on his back. He waited until the beast was at the peak of its arc with its tender under belly exposed. Only then did he execute a vicious kick.

Chocobos have wicked talons, both long and sharp. Their primary use is for traction and digging their nests, but there were also weapons. Weapons that he unleashed with a ferocious cry. Blood splattered over us as his claws ripped the beast's belly wide open. It fell a few feet to the side of us; it's hot blood causing steam to rise from the snow.

In the second Vaserian moved again, a perfect pivot to keep any of the monsters from working around behind us while taking us out of range of a swipe. The creature's massive claws just missed my face and pulled out a few hairs that had strayed from the hood of my cloak. The others were wary, but not about to relinquish such an enticing dinner. Two mid level ice spells flew at us before we could recover. My armor dissipated most of the freezing blasts, but I felt the cold in my hands and feet. Much more of that and I knew I would loose my seat. Vaserian smartly turned towards the one that had not yet attacked.

"FIRE!" A voice, mine, broke into the wind's howl. With my call the flames came, hot and vengeful. They erupted with the creature's thick, white fur. Flamlets licked in and out of its cut while their much larger brothers devoured the creature. Masters of ice they might be, but that only made them more vulnerable to my fire.

The last two milled around, circling us with stalking strides as they kept one eye on the smoking still burning carcass of the other. It gave me time to recover from magic use, and Vaserian time to reposition.

They charged, both of them, from opposite directions. Large claws sought and found purchase in the snow. Haste, a spell so familiar to me that it no longer required spoken words, enveloped Vaserian and myself.

He moved left. His wicked beak slamming into one of the creature's shoulders. At the same time I swung my staff with every ounce of strength I possessed at the second. A lucky shot for me. I caught the beast's materia and shattered it.

The wail it unleashed in its dying throws sent lances of pain through my skull. One of its flailing paws ripped into Vaserian's flank. The great bird stumbled and screeched as he lost his balance. The last creature leapt, literally, at its chance. Time seemed to slow as the beast flung its body into the air and hurtled straight towards us. Vaserian tried to maintain his feet, but the wound coupled with my weight was forcing him to the ground.

I gathered myself and jumped from the saddle.

Straight towards the ice creature. Yeah, I know, crazy, right?

Before I had thought the battle cries that Cloud unleashed were a bit silly, but in that moment I understood. Rage tore its way through me and even my intent to kill the creature was not enough to release the feeling. The scream clawed its way up my throat with such anger and tenacity that it did not sound like me at all.

The creature and I sped towards each other, but the haste spell gave me the advantage. I ducked under the swipe of its massive claw and shoved the end of my staff upwards, towards its head. The impact sent a jolt from my hands, through my body and for a moment I was not sure that I would be able to hold onto my weapon.

When I looked up, I saw the creature. Life faded in increments from it in a stream of crimson from the eye and brain tissue oozed along the top of my staff. My strength and the quality of the weapon I carried held it upright in pose of attack even as it died. Its claws hung limp at its sides and with one final sigh the rigidity of its body ceased. The wind quieted and the only sound I heard was the alternate drip and hiss of hot blood hitting the snow.

I couldn't stop the memory.

Tifa, Cloud and myself approached the Midgar swamp on the backs of our yellow chocobos. All of us wary because the Zoloms, hideously large serpents populated the swamps. Only the chocobos were fast enough to outrun the terrible creatures.

_It did not take long to cross the swamp, but the Zoloms followed close behind. I think terror alone drove the chocobos to faster speeds. Once upon the other side, there were a few smaller hills to cross before we came upon the entrance to the mines. They were our only available routes through the mountains. _

_We crested the final hill and shocked gasps ran through our small group. Tifa flinched back in horror, and pressed her face against Cloud's shoulder. All in all it was a grizzly scene before us._

_A Zolom towered above us. Maybe it was as long as one of the tallest Midgar, or maybe its weight had caused the beast to stretch out further. Its gaping maw was poised above us and its long barbed tongue hung down. _

_I felt fear, a cold grip around my heart that would not abate, but it was not for this creature that loomed so horrifically above us.. Just at the base of its jaw, the end of a large tree pierced through its mouth and up into its head. A tree that was almost as large as the creature and propped the beast up in a sick parody of life. _

_The length of the tree was barren and scorched with a dozen or so scars towards the bottom. Similar wounds ran all along the Zoloms body and because it was lifted up, blood and ooze leaked from the marks to fall to the ground, within the pool of its own filth that had already formed. _

_The stench was awful. I think Tifa threw up, but I looked up into its lifeless eyes and its massive jaws, now so useless. It was both a grand warning and a gesture._

_"Who could do such a thing?" Tifa all but gasped out once she had composed herself. Zoloms were, after all, very aggressive and very dangerous. No on had ever wounded one severely much less put one up on such a gruesome display of power and depravity. I knew the answer even if Tifa was not ready to acknowledge it._

_"Sephiroth," It Cloud, not I, that supplied the answer through clenched teeth and upon a rough tone. A tone that held elements of both anger…and jealousy. _

_Thunder clapped over head…. No…not thunder. I looked closer as the giant stake splintered in the center under the massive creature's weight. We all dove out of the way as the serpent came crashing down. The sheer enormity of it carrying the creature's head all the way into the swamps behind us with a roaring splash. But it was not over yet._

_The screeches of the other Zoloms rang out and a furious splashing could be heard. I ran back to the top of hill and looked down. The beast's body curved over the hills, but its head and part of its torso hung in the murk of the swamp. Suddenly it jerked! The other Zoloms pounded into the dead flesh until they were certain their comrade was indeed dead. _

_They swarmed around their fallen brethren, taking large bites from its decaying hide and pulling its long body deeper into the swamp. In a horrid fascination, I watched the feeding frenzy and one more time did I spy its dead eyes before it was jerked back into the abyss, forever. _

Shaking from fear and fatigue, I pulled my staff free of beast's head and watched it long body crash into the snow now tainted by its blood. Its lifeless eyes gazed up at me until I could no longer look.

Revulsion.

Pain.

I felt them both as I staggered through the knee-deep snow to Vaserian's side. He could stand, but his steps were slow and agonized. It took time to coax him into the cave and our only light was the creature that still burned dully outside. I set up a barrier spell on the mouth of the cave, allowing only a small space at the top for smoke to work free. Nothing would get in here until I took it down.

Outside another fire dimmed as its fuel was nearly spent. But its flicker gave me enough light to build a fire of my own. Within a matter of moments, the cold stonewalls warmed and the cheerful blaze lifted Vaserian's spirits and mine.

I knelt next to him and I saw the pain in his eyes. Though I think he knew I was there to help. As I probed the wounds he keened softly, but did not move.

"I am so sorry, my friend," He crooned in response. "Well it isn't as bad as it looks." I placed my hands upon his flank and summoned my waning strength. Flesh knitted together beneath my palms and though it pained him more, he only flapped one wing in distress.

The pain for him ended fast and his revealed his surprise and relief. Vaserian stretched the leg, just enough to test the reformed flesh. Pleased with my work, he butted his head into my chest with another soft croon. I started to laugh, but I felt something wet and warm against my leg.

Blood, mine, stained the tattered fabric of my pants. The wound festered in a sickly green color. I supposed then that their fangs contained poison. It always takes more energy to heal poison, but out here, away from the world, I had little choice.

My leg healed, the poison gone, I used my last dregs of energy to feed and clean Vaserian and myself. Both of us were near covered in blood and the smell was sickening. Still, the work kept me from thinking about my display out there, of the rage I had briefly known.

But when the work was done, I could only curl up against his soft side and try not to cry.

"I'm sorry you're in this mess with me," Sobs choked in my throat and I no longer cared to stop them. His croon turned to one of comfort as he preened my hair. I cried for no reason and every reason until the tears refused to come.

Exhausted, we fell asleep and I prayed the dreams would not come.

Smoke stung my lungs. In a fit of coughing, I opened my eyes, but I was not in the cave. Vaserian was nowhere in sight. I looked around slowly to the waking horror, a tragedy so great that even Planet had wept.

Fire raged all around me. So hot it seared my flesh even though no flames came close to me. Buildings groaned in torment as the fires ravaged their frames. People screamed in panic, others shouted and tried to get some sort of organized together to put out the fury. The dead and the dying all around me. I knew this place.

"Nibelheim," The word was nothing more than a quiet whisper from my lips. Just when it all had reached unbearable cacophony, the scene frozen, and the screams stopped. Silence drifted all around even as the faces of people were still held in looks of desperation and horror. The fires paused in mid sway as the licked over every available surface.

From those flames, he stepped forth. The halted fires bent around his frame to grant safe passage, or perhaps just deference to his presence. The orange and red hues added a bloody color to his pale hair and skin, but they could not dominate the Mako green of his eyes. That smirk, a half quirk of his mouth, was in place as he paced elegantly towards me.

This time I could move. I gained feet in one sudden burst. Running? What was the point? This was a dream and one that was so obviously not under my control, so I stood my ground. He walked towards me at a leisurely pace, out for nothing more than a midnight stroll. He kept his hands behind his back and that sick grin upon his face. I felt a chill run down my spine when he came to a halt no more than a foot from me.

"The smell is sickening is it not?" He asked with a soft, sympathetic tone. His left hand made a lazy gesture towards the nearest column of still fire. The conjured image of the ice creature burning in agony flickered within it. "Burning flesh, no not pleasant at all." I had no words to say. He circled around me, those mako eyes observing the scene from my mind with a clinical detachment.

"But it had to be done, yes? Or it would have killed you and your mount." Once again he stopped in front of me. I felt his breath cross my brow, and even heard the beat of his heart. I wanted to run, instinct screamed for me to run. "You only did what was necessary, killing that which tried to stop you," His voice echoed gently and with a soothing tone, a sympathetic tone.

"NO!," My hand slashed through empty pace. I knew where he was going with his pretty, soft words. "These people," I looked at over the city at the faces frozen in abject terror and pain. "They were not in your way! You could have let them live!"

" Ahh, yes, the way you let Hojo and the Shinra live after what they did to your, Mother?" My lungs constricted. It had taken years to rid myself of that hatred, that anger. Only my Mother's instance and the will of Planet had helped. "They gunned her down in the streets like a rabid dog and left he to crawl to her death while clutching her infant daughter. And you," His condescending smile spread to reveal perfect white teeth, "Allowed them to live."

"That…was…different." My hands shook and I clenched them into tight fists. "My Mother, she never hurt anyone. She wanted me to forgive them." Why did I care if he understood?

"And mine wanted their deaths. You see? We are not so different. Such obedient children."

"NO!!" I slapped him, unafraid and angry. " I am nothing like you!" Part of me wanted to cry as I rained blows against him, but I did not. His much stronger hands clamped over my wrists in a strong grip.

"No?" He smiled, "Oh but look." Sephiroth spun me around. One arm pulled me back against his chest and forced me to face away from him. Again he gestured to the still fires in front of us. Within them, visions arose.

Sephiroth as he smacked Cloud to the side in his need to get to Jenova, to get to his Mother. The vision stopped in mid fling. But it did not fade. Instead the memory of me on the way to the Temple of the Ancients arose. The moment when I smacked the wolfen creature to the side. And on it went.

Me attacking Cloud at the Temple…. Sephiroth springing upon the helpless Shinra President.

The ice creature burning in the snow… Nibelheim burning to the ground

The last ice creature impaled upon my staff… The Midgar Zolom impaled by a dead tree held by Sephiroth.

Juxtaposed upon one another, each grizzly scene froze in the moment of utmost depravity. Reflected within our eyes was a similar emotion: rage. I could not look away as in each of those moments we were so much the same. I felt my hands tremble and I wanted to fall, but his strong arm would not allow that weakness. Yet… the more that I looked, the more that I saw the difference between he and I.

In his eyes was rage, the same as mine true, but in each scene Sephiroth also radiated a sick joy at the carnage he unleashed. I stopped shaking and no longer wished to fall.

"You kill for pleasure, Sephiroth. That is a very large difference."

"No, my silly Cetra, I kill for necessity. That I enjoy it is only because I met out Justice." His words were soft and kind. "Choose me, little Cetra, and I will show you the true power you hold." Then he was gone.

* * *

To all those who have reviwed this story, THANK YOU!

I hope you enjoy the two latest chapters and I'm sorry for it having taken this long.


	6. Finding Peace

The Last Temptation

Twilight Lament Oct. 2004 

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**_Chapter Six_**

**_Finding Peace_**

Much subdued by the previous day's fight and the second dreamtime encounter, we left the cave the next morning. My somber mood did not affect Vaserian's spirits too much. With the snow no longer falling and the sun out, he cheerfully took off at a quick jot.

I refused to look at the carcasses, half covered now by snow, and I shuddered hard when the echo of _his_ words played in my head. For the longest while, I just hunkered upon Vaserian's back and hoped that the numbing chill I felt was just from the cold of the high mountains.

It only took a few hours for Vaserian to get us free of the mountains. Once he hit the lower hills, he stretched his legs into their full stride. Within minutes, I no longer needed the cloak.

The plains stretch wide open in front of us, and even my spirits lift in the wake of warm sunshine and gentle winds. It will take a day or two to reach the ocean at this pace, and then I will have to find new transportation. But right now that feels unimportant. I just want to enjoy this sensation of flying. I just want to feel free.

We took our noon meal next to a small stream and that short rest did more for my spirit than the solid sleep of the night before. I was able to pack my cloak up once it had completely dried. I felt relieved of its weight.

Vaserian took off at a fast, but easy lope. On flat ground in good weather, he could run like that all day and then some. Even if the others managed to find chocobos, I doubted any of them would have the speed and stamina of mine. Yes, Vaserian had probably cut my travel time in half. It was a good thing; I told myself and managed to more than half believe those words.

My eyes closed and in that instant, we were flying again. The air now warm and gentle streamed over my skin and teased each lock of my hair. Sunlight kissed the thin layer of flesh over my eyes and chased away any remaining chill of mountains. I could still see its brilliance. It was an easy surrender truth be told.

My mine drifted from weighty thoughts and heavy paths to soar in the pure blue above. Life itself curled around my soul and gave it wings, and I immersed myself in the radiance of it all. The Planet whispered to me in delighted tones and let me though all the things it knew.

Nor was I alone in my flight. My kin danced around me, and lifted me up when I started to falter and offering me both their strength and support. I was not alone for a few precious moments. Eventually, they drifted off with touches and assurances of love and understanding. But I did not end my soul's flight.

With the Planet, I continued to fly and I realized that it needed this as much as I. The Planet faced not only with its destruction, but the demise of everything it had ever nurtured and cherished. My determination renewed and I became closer to Planet than ever before. It showed me more than it had ever shown anyone. I was the last that would understand.

A parent who wanted its child to know everything it knew. To prepare one more to meet the destiny no one wanted. To ensure wisdom was passed down before it was snuffed out forever.

Planet was afraid that it would die and so would everything else. It was afraid that too large a burden had been placed on my shoulders. It was afraid that I would die alone and in pain.

_Will stay with Aeris-child. To the end._

_Thank you, my friend._

Much of what Planet showed me, other ages, other beings, I did not understand. I also realized that I would probably never understand it all. You see it does not speak in words in very often. Images and feelings, colors and music. Planet has its own languages and even though the Cetra know much of that language, we do not understand it all. It is too complex, and we are too different from Planet, but hey at least we can try right?

Besides, it's hard being Planet. It is immense compared to us and so very old. It sees time in such a different light that I can't really think of anything to compare it too at all. Despite our language and age barriers though, I wouldn't trade having Planet's presence in my mind for anything in the universe. A constant murmur of wonder.

I came back to myself only when I noticed that Vaserian had stopped. My eyes blinked time and time again to adjust to the near darkness. The day had passed. Vaserian look at me with a gaze that could be interpreted no other than "I've been running all day and I am going to rest whether you like it or not."

I laughed and slid down off of his back. My legs wobbled underneath me with a dull ache. He wasn't used to traveling all day and I wasn't used to riding all day either. He had even found a good overnighting spot. Only when I reached up to scratch his ears did I notice the soft, pale glow around my hands. The tingle of power and the remnants of acceptance. A month ago it would have scared me, but now I no longer feared my birthright.

It was a heady sensation left over my flight and the touch of the Planet lightening my weary steps in the wake of my far lighter heart.

I chatted with Vaserian of things I Planet had showed me while he ate and I set up camp. I wonder how much he understood though he only gave the occasional snort in reply. He seemed pleased with his dinner though. Mine was only trail bread, jerky, and some dried fruit.

I am tired of trail bread. This stuff was made to last, but it is still rock hard and tasted like nothing with a bit of salt of on the side. There are times I think a rock might actually be softer. The jerky is over seasoned, but that is the kind Cloud likes, so it was the kind we always bought.

I suppose years in the military and eating pretty much the same thing day after day would make anything taste good.

No one had like the fruit thought. Tifa swore we must have gotten a bad batch. I still think it wasn't really fruit that had been dried. I don't really want to think about what it might be. Even Vaserian gave the small mound of "berries" and "nuts" a sideways and confused glance.

Oh well, it's food right?

I would need to stop at a town soon anyway. This marks the last of my food stores. I did not fight the wave of relief. Real food, a place to get some new clothes, and to be around people again.

Those were thoughts that lulled me to sleep, as I lay curled up next to Vaserian. He was better than any fire and it was not that cold out anyway. When I finally drifted off, I wondered if the dreams would come.

Thankfully, they did not.

And on to the "thank you's"

First off, I would like to say thank you to everyone for your patience. Between life and the holiday season, my time is limited, as I am sure most of everyone's is.

**Noacat** – Gurk! Computer problems are the bane of everything. Stupid technology. A problem that I can relate to very well, even though I wish I couldn't! Thank you for the kind words and the encouragement. Hopefully once the holidays settle, I'll be able to post a little more frequently!

**Innocent angel100 **– And thank you as well! Here is the update, I hope you enjoy it.

**Nutz** – Continuing along at the pace of a snail unfortunately. Heh.


	7. Kindred Spirits

The Last Temptation

Twilight Lament Oct. 2004 

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

**_Chapter Seven:_**

**_Kindred Spirits_**

I woke up with Vaserian nudging my arm with insistent chirps.

"All right! All right!" I laughed and reached up to scratch behind his ear tufts. He cooed but refused to stop trying to get me up from the bedroll. Only when I stood did he wander off a little way to graze on new grass. Still chuckling, I moved over to my pack. While a few bites of rock hard bread was not an appealing breakfast, my stomach reminded me it was better than nothing at all.

My appetite fled in the wake of a cold knot forming in the pit of my stomach. On top of my pack, nestled underneath the tie, fluttered a piece of paper. I am out in the middle of nowhere after all, and none of my friend's could have left the note, or even would have. I though maybe it had blown into camp during the night and gotten caught. Part of me knew that explanation was not plausible. It was folded too neatly and placed too deliberately under the leather tie.

Still explanation after explanation swirled in my head in an ever growing tempest that went from possible to ridiculous. All the while my spinning brain left out one of the most likely reasons, until that is, my shaking hands reached down and plucked the note free. I unfolded it with bated breath.

Choose Me-

What was my first impression? He has beautiful handwriting. Each letter flowed together but remained distinct in the wave of curves and peaks. No tentative strokes, no hesitance in the curve of the "s" nor its venture into the "e". _Could you really tell so much about someone from the way that they write?_ Those were my first thoughts. Those were my only coherent thoughts. The rest tumbled over themselves in an attempt to be heard over the rising din in my head.

_How? …Why? …When?_

A sharp tremble erupted through me, and my fear deepened. Was he coming back? Did he know? Is this it? Nothing made sense until I realized that I shook from my growing nerves and not some approaching doom that shifted Planet under me.

In tiny increments the paper crumbled in upon itself from the force of my will. "Did he?" changed to "How **dare** he!" My eyes locked upon the note as the words disappeared within the ever-tightening crinkled folds. Then something did erupt, but it was not some clever trap planned by my tormentor. A small spurt of fire clawed skyward from the paper in my hand. Though diminutive in size, the blaze burned a bright blue with its intense heat, fed by my anger. The fire rendered paper to ash in a second.

I yelped and dropped the fizzling remains when my fire reached the flesh below the paper. The flame vanished. Its fuel consumed. My palm throbbed in agony, the skin red and raw with small blisters starting to form. I concentrated on the pain and it slowly pushed my anger away. Quick strides took me over to the small stream. Plunging my hand into the water brought a different kind of sting and a grimace to my face.

The pain faded from a sharp, intense point to a dispersed throb. I have never lost control like that, and I did not like it, at all. It brought another bought of mental limbo. Thoughts and questions. But no answers and no resolution to the trepidation welling inside of me.

I had to talk to Planet about this, and my ancestor. I had… what's that?

…………….

It wasn't so much what I heard, but what I felt. A tremble in the Lifestream. A discordant note among the soft music in the back of my head. Vibrations that crept along my skin and raised goose bumps in the their path, and spoke of pain and suffering. It was not Planet's pain though someone was in trouble.

The note forgotten, I groaned and looked around for Vaserian only to find him at my left elbow. His soft ears strained forward and every muscle remained still as he listened intently for something just on the edge of his ability to hear. Even his eyes narrowed in concentration. With a pat from my hand, Vaserian snapped back to himself.

Insistent clicks and whistles hummed around me, but safety demanded that the fire be put out and my packs secured correctly on his back. By the time I finished even those cursory preparation, Vaserian danced in place. His wings flapped in agitation and he hurried me on with both looks and sounds. I leapt upon his back and just as I gained my balance, he bolted off.

His mad gallop took us west and the tremor of distress grew with each long stride that he took. As I rode, the landscape changed. At first the trees simply thinned which was a blessing as it allowed Vaserian to reach his full stride unimpeded. All too soon though the trees vanished all together with only the occasional scraggly shrub to break up the monotony. Then came nothing at all. No sign of life greeted our eyes, only dirt and barren rock that had a strange brownish hue, the color of decay. If we were lucky, a dead patch of weeds might appear. The land we traveled upon struggled for life, gasped for breath in its final death throws.

The signs were too obvious to be ignored. We were nearing Midgar.

I have always felt Planet's pain before and never was the feeling stronger than in Midgar. Still, it had always been at a remove – a part of me, but a manageable part. Something I knew and grieved over, but was otherwise able to continue on about my life. This time though, the feeling was much stronger. Either things had gotten worse, or I had become far more sensitive.

Planet's screams grew louder and more grievous. A loud cacophony rebounding time and again within my skull. Only my death grip on Vaserian's neck kept me seated in the wake of blurred vision and sudden vertigo. Waves of nausea, pain, sadness, and the feel of impending death tore through me over and over again.

Tears stung my eyes and I struggled past the encroaching blackness that threatened to wash over me and send me into oblivion. The words came in pained gasps, but I managed to get the incantations past my lips. Every defensive spell I knew buzzed to life around me and provided much needed protection. I heard Planet's wordless apology, but here it hurt so badly. Slowly I returned to near normal. I still felt the anguish, but no longer so acutely.

When my vision cleared, I noticed that we had slowed and I wondered just how long Vaserian had been running. A twilight darkness dominated the landscape. With a puzzled frown, I looked behind us. Light, sunlight spilled across the empty plains a mile or two behind us. It was then I realized that we were in the shadow of Midgar.

I felt an instinctive fear of the place. Midgar was Shinra's stronghold and they had an iron grip upon the city and all of the towns near it. The monolithic city had a bittersweet past. Built upon one man's dreams for a better tomorrow and corrupted by another man's lust for power. But that's a story for another time, though I think it is one that should be told. Most don't know the truth behind Midgar and its legacy.

From the time I left Midgar with Cloud all those months ago, I had never wanted to go back. Especially once Elmyra and Marlene were taken from the forsaken place to safe location. I certainly did not want to be there in that moment either with the naked and dying land crying in my mind with thousands of pained voices of both the living and the dead. But one voice wailed louder than the rest and it was that voice that had pulled Vaserian and I from our comfortable camp and away from the road of the journey. So we pushed on, closer and closer to the cause of the pain.

We found her a mile or two outside of the city. A girl no more than twelve half lying in a pool of Mako waste. Strange, it was, to see the sickly green glow of the pool, the only color ambient anywhere near by. I leapt from Vaserian's back and knelt quickly at the girl's side. She was pale and barely breathing with a half drowned rasp in her chest. Her jaw slack with a bit of drool trailing down the corner and brown eyes stared upwards, but saw nothing. Already the greenish haze invaded the whites of her eyes and moved unerringly towards the iris and pupil. Mako poisoning. I needed no other indicators or a doctor to confirm that.

She felt so cold and light as a feather in my arms when I lifted her up. Trails of Mako spilled from legs to rest sluggishly once more in the pool below. The words of a healing spell spilled from me and enveloped her in a emerald glow, but this wasn't the sick ichor of Mako. It was the herald of life. It would not save her, but it would sustain her long enough to get her to a place where she could be adequately treated.

I wrapped the precious bundled now in my charge in my cloak. Vaserian knelt so that I could slide easily onto his back even with the girl in my arms. I felt the heat from me slowly creep into her limbs. Without another moment to waste, I singled to Vaserian that we were ready. He took off at a slower pace, but still much faster than the average chocobo.

Taking her to Midgar was out of the question. I could not risk capture by Shinra, and I doubted that once they took me anyone else would be able to help her. Her case of poisoning was simply too strong especially for one so young. The only other town nearby was Kalm and it still proved a risky proposition. Kalm is a small village northeast of Midgar. The populace bought Mako energy from Midgar. A fact that forever bound the tiny town to the great city. The people there might seek to turn in the Cetra in order to solidify the bond between Kalm and Midgar.

However, as the wastelands of Midgar crept closer, the villagers began to grumble. What would they do once the land around them died too? How could they stop it? Currently the grumblings remained just that. Even though no one in Kalm wanted to share Midgar's fate, none of them were ready to give up the convenience of Mako either. That made Kalm a risky proposition, but it was the only place close enough to take the girl, and the only place big enough that I would likely be able to find what I needed to treat her.

At Vaserian's top speed it took two hours to reach the town. The large black chocobo burst into the entrance and came to a talon screeching halt right next to the Mako distributor in the center of the town square. Citizens gawked, unable to comprehend this sudden ruckus that had broken the erstwhile peace of their tiny town. Vaserian knelt with an easy grace upon the uneven cobblestone amidst the people who still had not fully recovered from their shock.

"It's the Ancient."

"Big reward."

I heard those whispers throughout the crowd as I slid from Vaserian's back. Maybe I had been wrong in my estimation of the people hear, but I could only hope otherwise.

"I need help. The girl had Mako poisoning!" I remained calm, or at least I attempted to appear that way. Finally the people noticed the bundle wrapped up so carefully in my arms. An old man pushed his way forward from the back of the crowd.

"Git y'rselves out th' way." His grizzled countenance lent further authority to the deep voice that reminded me of Barrett. He scowled at his fellow citizens and many fell back and quiet under his withering gaze.

"That be Jenna lass." He said as he came near me and I could hear a ripple of shock pour through the people at the realization. "What of 'er parents?"

"I found no one else, Sir." Sadness and grief radiated from all of them and I began to relax a little.

"Bring th' wee 'un to me 'ouse. Ye'll **_both_** be safe there." I had a wry feeling that the last part was more for his fellow townsmen that for me. I was beginning to really like this old man. The rest milled around in uncertainty. One of their own was hurt and saved by a stranger. The same stranger that would fetch a handsome price and the good will of Shinra's. In the end they dispersed as we entered the old man's home.

"G'head n' take 'er upstairs, n' tell me wha' ye be needin' lass."

"Ummm… the strongest antidote you have for Mako poisioning, regular antidotes, a few potions and dome Devil's Ear and Corinth." He nodded and turned towards the door, heading for the town's market presumable. "And Sir, thank you."

"Names 'enry, lass." He smiled "Nae need t' thank me. Ye saved th' wee un'. Just ye wait 'ere." His words calmed me. Why, I was not sure. Maybe because he was the first person I had spoken too since I left Cloud and others, or at least the first sane person. I shook off the encroaching melancholy and took Jenna up the stairs.

Jenna stirred a little in my arms, a welcomed site indeed. I placed her upon the bed and gently unwound her from my cloak. In the corner of the spare bedroom rested a washbasin with a pitcher of water next to it. Fresh linens graced the wooden towel rail next to it. All of these things I brought to Jenna's bedside. I set about cleaning her up. I know it seems a small thing in the wake of her illness, but it was important to clean away any traces of remaining Mako waste, and the warm water would help with her circulation.

I got her into my spare nightshirt and under the covers just as Henry returned. His uneven gait resounded all the way up the stairs. He pulled a table close to the bed and set out several bottles, a mortar, and several packets of dried and fresh herbs.

"Yer chocobo is in m' open stables. 'E seemed a smart un, figured it'd be best if'n e' could come n' go as 'e pleased." I nodded and set to work. Henry took up residence in the spare chair, probably in case I needed anything, but he never issued a distracting word or noise.

Devil's Ear and Corinth, two very potent herbs for extracting poison and in the right quantities they could even extract Mako. The mortar was formed out of the smoothest stone and well sealed. No impurities would seep into the herbs, and the grinder head was set with a piece of restore materia that would aid in releasing the potency of the herbs. I activated the piece and directed it's energies into the tiny leaves resting in the curve of the bowl. They did not have a pleasing smell, but it was strong, indicating they had been picked at their peak.

"You need more Corinth."- It took all of my restraint not to jump when that voice slipped through my head. I knew this was not a dream. So how?… -"Snap out of it little Cetra and pay attention."- Came his chiding tone. When I looked down, I saw that he was right. I frowned, but did not respond. Both Jenna and Henry remained blissfully unaware of our visitor.

I sunk into my task. Determined to ignore any more comments from him, but he, if he was still there, remained silent. I relaxed a little. The hours drew on as I strained and refined the mixture. Occasionally I slipped various antidotes and potions down Jenna's throat to keep her condition stable.

Finally, I completed the formula. My vision was blurry from so much concentration, but I managed to get the proper dose into her mouth while Henry massaged her throat to induce a swallowing reflex. The rest I bottled up, enough for several more doses if necessary.

"Ye be hungry, lass?" I nodded, too tired to speak. Mako antidotes were strenuous to make. Everything had to be exactly the right proportion and prepared in precisely the right way. If not the potion would not work at best, and could prove fatal at worst. Henry patted my shoulder and I listened to his halting gate echo down the stairs.

"Are you happy?"- I stiffened and gathered the remains of my strength.

"Go away."-

"Tsk, tsk, little Cetra, are you always this rude?"- I did not respond that time. Maybe he would get bored and leave, or so I hoped. –"I suppose you did a good thing, or at least you believe so."- Stupidly, I rose to the bait.

"It was a good thing. She is not responsible for this, or anything else! She's just a child."- How could he be so heartless?

"A child that will grow up and think it owns everything. Take and take just like its parents until there is nothing left to take. You're too human, little Cetra, you do no see clearly."-

"You are part human too, and what right do you have anyway! You say they are killing everything, but you are planning to do that very same thing."- My anger rose up and probably clouded my better judgment, but I could not stop myself this time. –"You are WRONG! And I won't let you get away with this."-

"I AM NOT LIKE THEM."- His anger far overshadowed my own. His voice roared in my head like an angry lion. –"You."- He accused. –"Should know just what they are capable of. _They_ helped kill you race. _They_ killed your Mother. _They_ are killing the planet."- He might have continued if I had let him.

"You listen you arrogant asshole. Jenova, your beloved Mother killed my people. And now you are going to finish what she started. Is that all you, Sephiroth? A puppet? First Shinra and now Jenova?"- Reckless words, I was lucky they were not spoken in person. The only response I received what a mental attack that drove me to my knees in pure agony. Tears sprung to my eyes as a million colors danced in the after math of the mental explosion. I slowly pulled myself back into the chair.

"Hit a nerve, General?" I muttered in both anger and agony. That I had managed to pierce Sephiroth's icy calm might have been a moment to savor. That is if thinking hadn't hurt so much at the time. I might have even chuckled about it, if I hadn't been sure that the action would have caused my head to roll right off of my neck that is.

I did check on Jenna though. Her breaths came deeper, easier, and more even now. Nor was she as pale anymore. Physically she would make a full recovery or so I thought. Mentally though, I was uncertain. I did not know just how long she had been in that pool or how much of the waste had seeped into her system. Tomorrow would be the real test, but tonight she needed to rest and gather her strength.

That night I ate dinner with Henry at a small table in the room Jenna and I now shared. The girl slept with deep even breath which boded well for her physical condition. However, it was her mental condition that I worried about. How much Mako had gotten into her system? How much had the antidote neutralized? I had no way of knowing either answer.

"Ye done her best lass," Henry said to me. "Now eat Ye taint gon t' be no good t' 'er weak." He sounded so much like a friend of Mother's, Elymra. His name had been Orson. A kind man, with a heart of gold. He died of a hear attack two years ago and left Elmyra with another heartbreak. Orson had been the first man, since her husband, Planet rest his soul, which had given her any comfort at all.

"I know, but Henry, I fear I cannot stay for long." I felt the icy cold touch of fear again. The longer I stayed the better the chance that Shinra would find me. Hell Sephiroth already knows where I am and that's quite enough.

"Ye needn't worry none. No one in Kalm be 'andin' ye over t' the like o' them now. 'Elped the wee 'un ye did. That be enough t' keep their lips closed." He smiled and his expression was infectious even if my smile did not reach very far. Though it faded when Jenna's occasional rasp broke into the silence.

"I don't know if she'll survive Henry. I can heal her body but… I've never tried to heal a mind before." My eyes closed. Healing a mind was not impossible for a Cetra, a true blooded one at least. I was a half-breed though and that made some of my people's talents unreachable. His gnarled, arthritic hand patted mine.

"Ye'll do yer best lass. Tis all any o' us can do. Now ye best be gettin' some rest yeself." He took the tray with him, leaving me alone with Jenna. I was tired and I would need all of my strength tomorrow. But the thought of sleeping left a cold lump in my stomach.

The spare bed was soft and welcoming. I felt the strains of the day crash over me in a wave of fatigue. Once the covers became securely warm, I was unable to stop sleep from coming.

"You have a cruel streak in you, little Cetra." I groaned as his voice permeated the darkness around me. I refused to open my eyes. Was this another dream? Or just his voice taunting me across vast distances? "And rude. It is not polite to ignore people you know."

"Fine. Go away." I growled and squeezed my eyes shut tighter.

"Open your eyes, little Cetra. I can assure you that you are dreaming." Could he read my mind as well? The thought sent another shiver down my spine.

"NO. GO AWAY. LEAVE ME ALONE! What part of those phrases is so complicated that you cannot understand!" I wanted him to get angry again and leave like last time. Sure I would get a massive headache in the bargain, but I could deal with that. Much better than I could deal with him.

"My apologies, but that simply is not possible. You and I need to have a little chat." I frowned with his sincere and serious tone. Gone was the mocking note the tinge of utter disdain. My eyes opened in slow increments, but the warmth of stained wood did not greet my gaze. Instead the moon hung brilliant and full as it lulled the ocean waves cresting near the shore.

My hand curled within sand that had already lost the warmth of the sun. The smell of salt drifted to me on the lazy breeze that ruffled my hair up from my shoulders. Costa del Sol. The premier vacation spot on Planet with its pristine and monster free beaches, clear water, and near year around warmth. I had been there once with Cloud and the others after we had boarded a ship in Junon in pursuit of the same man who now called the place into my dreams.

"We have something to talk about?" Come my retort. Where his statement had lacked an acerbic quality, my question did not. I was tired of having my sleep interrupted, of being constantly reminded of my impending death. Especially now that it seemed he could contact me when I was awake as well.

Can I impress upon this page the words to adequately express how it feels to be stalked so completely by the one who will murder me?

"Cruel, rude, and sarcastic," He laughed. I was surprised to find it neither malicious not mocking, but rather…ironic.

"What?" My eyes narrowed upon him. He stood maybe a few feet away. Silver hair danced in the same wind with his arms crossed in a loose casualty across his chest. The moon touched his hair and each strand reflected the pale light until it seemed a molten waterfall poured from the crown of his head. It created a halo of light pierced and enhanced by the deep emerald glow of his eyes. He looked a god. I hated myself for even thinking that.

"I thought the Cetra were supposed to be….nice." The smirk on his face formed in a slow, languid wave until it rested in a taunting visage. And it made me very, very angry.

I sprung to my feet, sending sand flying and cascading in a multitude of directions. The tiny grains splashed across my feet as I crossed the small space separating us. He watched me with those cool Mako eyes, at ease and unimpressed, until one of my fingers stabbed him the chest right below the cross bands of his armor. Shock registered then, for both of us I think. Wasn't I supposed to be afraid of him?

"Listen up. I am nice to people even those who do not give me reason to be. I smile and hope it helps them if only for one second. Why? Because I'm it. The last woman standing. It also makes me happy." –Most of the time anyway- But I left that unsaid. "But you? You are trying to destroy everything that I hold dear. Every person that I know, every place that I've been, every piece of Planet that I love. So please accept my most humble apologies it I do not smile for you. " By the end of my rant my chest heaved and I could feel the anger literally vibrated through my veins as my heart pumped harder and faster. But it wasn't just because him.

It was my uncertainty, my wavering conviction, my sorrow, my hope, my wishes that crammed themselves into my anger. Every smile I had not felt, every time I had wanted to cry on Cloud's shoulder and let someone else shoulder the burden for a moment or two. It was also my shame for not being more accepting of my destiny, for my selfishness, and strangely enough for not being more accepting of Sephiroth himself. I think I was so angry at him, at least in part, because out of everyone that I had the potential to save, he was not in that number. I knew my life would be forfeit; I had the feeling his would be as well. I found it easier to hate him than to mourn for him.

After my tirade he blinked. General Sephiroth found himself speechless. Anger, surprise, confusion and numerous other emotions played across his eyes in a chaotic procession. I realized that whatever his master plan for this dreamtime encounter was, I had probably damaged it beyond repair. Me, Aeris, the flower girl from the slums, had upset the plan's of the greatest military strategist in several ages.

I tried not to laugh, really I did, but where all those pent up emotions had turned to anger before, they now turned into hysterical laughter with the pole axed look on his face. I laughed until tears formed, until my sides ached, until I gasped for breath. I hadn't laughed like that in a really long time. It felt good.

"Sorry," I snickered a bit, not sorry in the least. His expression darkened and I felt much of my good humor fade. It was hard to maintain an air of frivolity with such a stony look upon you. "So, what did you want to talk about?" I looked away and moved away from him. Maybe if I let him say whatever it was he wanted to say, he would go away.

"You are very cheerful for someone marching towards her death." His words were silky smooth as always, but I felt the sting of the blade beneath. My spine stiffened and I saw the cold look of triumph on his face. "What?" He began again " No more brave words and rousing speeches?"

"Is that all?" The words barely slid from between my teeth.

"No." Damn, I thought. "I still want to know why you pursue this silly notion of yours that you can stop me." Arrogance dripped from every heard and I listened to the crunch of sand beneath his boots as he moved closer, behind me. I refused to turn, to look at him. But I did not have to in order to feel the intensity of gaze that demanded I look.

"My reasons are my own. It does not matter if I can or not, General, I have to try." The ocean broke into the silence as I turned. My eyes lifted to meet his and somehow I found the strength to not look away. "It is not only my birthright, but my privilege." His eyes narrowed, but never left mine. It was easy to see and understand why strong men feel beneath the look of his eyes. They were unnerving, boring into a person's soul. I hoped he found no fear in mine.

"You are careless with your life, little Cetra. Do you not that such silliness and self-sacrifice is not rewarded?" What about me brought that thin, satisfied smile to his lips, I did not know. "But you do know yes? For every moment of happiness you have given, you have received nothing in return. No in fact you have received worse than nothing." He moved closer. So close that he invaded my personal space. His breath touched my forehead and the occasional lock of silver hair fell over on the wind and clung to my crossed arms.

I watched in morbid fascination as those silvery strands touched my bare arms. Separate little tendrils that seemed so delicate and misplaced upon such a man. But as they found purchase on my arm, their tenacious grip held strong even in the wind. Silver pieces of a spider's web weaving Sephiroth and I together.

"And you friends?" His tone softened. "Where are they? The puppet cannot help you. It is why you left correct?" So close was he that I could see the Lifestream currents in his eyes. All of that knowledge he now held, but Sephiroth was no closer to the truth despite how many answers he had obtained. "You are alone, painful is it not?"

"They protected me, not I will protect him." Even though they were quiet, I knew he would have no problems hearing my words. "That is what friends do."

"Any yet you are still alone, little Cetra, just as you have been since the moment your Mother died at the hands of Shinra guards." He leaned in until he spoke the words almost against my lips. Instinct screamed at me to back away, but I refused to grant him that satisfaction. No matter how real the dream felt, no matter how afraid I was. "Choose me, and you will not be alone anymore."

He should have faded with those words just as he had before. But he lingered and held the intimacy of the moment. Nor did he relinquish the near kiss once he stopped speaking. My awareness faded to nothing but him and the strange sounds of heartbeats that seemed to bleed into one. The wind picked up and led more of his silver locks towards me. Slow at first and them faster until they danced in a woven cocoon about our heads with the soft glow of his Mako eyes reflecting off each strand, blocking out everything else.

I felt strange. Torn I guess. Something in Sephiroth called to me. In some twisted way we are kindred spirits thrust into the roles of opponents. Part of me wanted the familiarity he offered. I saw him smile. Serene as he faded out of sight.

* * *

Heh, I know the updates are infrequent at best. I ask for all of your patience in bearing with me. -grin- Enjoy! 


	8. Impulsive Challenge

**_The Last Temptation_**

**_Twilight Lament Oct. 2004_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

_** Summary**: Aeris Gainsborough has known almost her entire life that she will be a sacrifice to save Planet and everything on it. Her destiny, something she struggles with often times raging against a cruel fate that will never allow her true happiness, and the guilt such uncharitable thoughts bring. But when the moment comes, it isn't Aeris that who rocks the tides of fate, but rather the very man who is supposed to kill her. Will that moment lead her to happiness? Or will it end everything?_

**Chapter 8**

_Impulsive Challenge_

I managed to sleep through the night despite the dream despite him. I thought I had just gotten used to them, but a small doubt remained. Some piece of me believed there was another reason, even if I could not name it. But those are worries and concerns for those few precious moments always suspended between sleep and waking. When the world hangs still and time does not move. I neared the last of those scant seconds and thoughts of Jenna replaced my confusion.

Sunlight filtered into the room. A weak, watery-red glow invaded my eyes. 'It must be early," I thought with a yawn. The temptation to curl back into the covers threatened to overwhelm me, but rest would have to wait. The room held an early morning chill. So much so that I pulled a small throw blanket from the foot of my borrowed bed to huddle under.

When I looked at Jenna everything became irrelevant. The girl lay in exactly the same position that I had put her in the night before. The only change was that her eyes were open, but they saw nothing. Her pupils just tiny black dots in the expanse of the iris, half hidden under the chaotic swirl of Mako.

"Jenna?" I ventured and received no response, not even a flicker of an eyelid. Then I grew angry again. Just before despair crept its way into my heart. Why should this child die? Even Planet did not offer an answer. It seemed to wait in silence, perhaps wondering what I would do now. The answer came to me, though it was something I had never dared before.

Both of my hands touched the girl's head. One thumb rested beside each eye and I looked into those unblinking orbs. The words for a spell sprang to mind. I do not know how I knew them or even if it was an older spell. Even now I can't remember the words, only feeling that I could not, would not, leave her to die.

The Lifestream answered my call and peeled back the barrier around her mind just enough for me to enter. Delving into another's mind is like diving into the ocean. It is a shock no matter how good at a controlled entry you are. But the more control you have the faster you can orient yourself to its currents, or so the theory goes anyway.

Plunging into a mind afflicted with Lifestream poisoning is bad. Thoughts and feeling are tied together in incoherent ways as knowledge and memories that do not belong try to find a place to fit. But even as bad as that is, Mako poisoning is worse, far worse.

The knowledge and memories absorbed are a chaotic and fragmented mess. No form, no function, no order. They are in the simplest terms ghosts. Fragments of souls sucked up and processed by Mako reactors only to be used up and the bits and pieces that remain are spit out like so much refuse. Now all of those fragments fought for dominance instead of trying to find a way out.

A maelstrom spun in the girl's head. An angry glowing tempest of the lost and discarded. I felt their anger and despair. Those emotions formed tiny knives that lanced right through me. When I moved closer the tempest tightened around itself for protection, still howling its rage. I assumed that somewhere in the center of the storm was Jenna.

She was fading, dying. I felt it in the dimming of her thoughts. Her mind was too young to last under such an onslaught for long. A sense of urgency rushed through me even as the howls of the damned battered against her mind with increasing ferocity. No longer did they seek peace and rest. They wanted vengeance and would take every ounce of that rage out on poor Jenna.

I concentrated and balled my "self" up as small as possible then hurled my mind down the narrow corridor that linked her to me. I strove for greater force, and gained more momentum as I hurled towards the tight ball in the center. These fractured souls could not deny me entry. I was stronger with the will of Planet backing me.

The moment I crossed the threshold of the storm, their thoughts and emotions slammed into me as well.

"…Intruder…"

"…OURS…"

"…GET OUT…!"

Then softer, and forlorn.

"….Help us…. Free Us…"

Hundreds of voices echoed and repeated each phrase. It was like being in a concert arena with different bands playing different types of music all at once and loudly with the noise of the crowd increasing. Ghost like "hands" crept out and flittered along the thin shield protecting me from their vengeance. The spindly tendrils drifted over the surface, but could find no purchase. The tempest shook with sudden frustration and anger. I tried not to look at the waxen, gaunt visages that peeked out of the cloud of violent energy. A mother, a son, a husband, all lost now, with parts of them used up and never to return. I kept myself focused on Jenna, I could not save them, could not repair the damage, but maybe I could save her.

At the heart of the cocoon, she lay, curled into a tight illusory ball. Rips and tears in her clothes exposed her flesh. Often a gnarled, angry hand would shoot free of the storm around and slash at her. Opening wounds and forcing pained whimpers from her tiny form. Blood seeped from those wounds, bleeding out her soul. Soon she would be open enough for the cloud to absorb her into it.

I found a burst of speed, given by Planet. My thoughts lashed out from my protective barrier to thrust the cruel, grasping hands back before they could inflict further damage on Jenna. Their rage increased and a few fractured wraiths broke free of the cloud to race towards Jenna, attempting to beat me to the one they wanted to claim.

But I was faster, an unfettered whole mind compared to their crippled souls. I collided with Jenna, scooping her into my arms and within my protection. A small wail rose from her as I grabbed hold. Bereft. Alone. Abandoned. Jenna thrashed in my arms fearing me yet another angry spirit bent on her torment. Her wail morphed into a frightened scream, but even using every ounce of energy that remained in her, she was not strong enough to thrust me away from her.

"Hush now, Jenna," I spoke in a gentle tone and further enwrapped her within my spirit form. She stopped thrashing, but continued to shake in abject fear and misery. "It's all right sweetheart. Open your eyes." My tone remained soft but carried a note of command within it that broke through Jenna's hysteria just enough. Slowly, she opened her eyes, opened her mind to me. So much anguish in her eyes. I almost lost my carefully cultivated control.

"Where's Mommy?" She sniffled, but decided to trust me. Her thoughts clinging to mine when the wraiths spiraled near.

" I don't know, Jenna," It was not a technically a lie. Her Mother could be with Planet, or trapped within a Make reactor. Even worse she could be one of the phantoms attempting to tear her daughter apart. What a grim thought. Still I couldn't bear the thought of telling her that at the very least, her Mother was dead. She flinched from my answer and her trembling increased. "Jenna, if you let me, I can help you." Another wraith darted forward and Jenna wailed.

"Don't leave me? Please… I'll be a good girl." She started to cry again, and clutched me with every bit of strength she had in her.

"Jenna…." I received no response, just tears. "Jenna, listen to me. I can help you, but I need you to calm down a little." I brushed her hair with my hand, ever keeping an eye on her tormentors. Each attack weakened my barrier a little more. I had to get started or Jenna's would not be the only life on the line. She nodded against my hand.

"You won't be able to see me for a few minutes, Jenna, but I will still be here." I saw her fear strengthen, and her bottom lip quiver just a little, but she held strong. She put her trust in me out of desperation.

I steeled myself for the next part and concentrated, changing my mental form into a ball of pure light. From that light tiny threads emerged, just a few at first then more and more as each one spawned two more. Many of them I wove around Jenna to protect her from the frequent assaults. The rest reached higher and spread out all around until they touched all sides of the Mako "storm". The contact was electric, painful and sharp. They were after me once I denied them access to Jenna.

I refused to stop even when the pain morphed into agony. I wove those threads of myself further into the storm until my mind had sifted into every part. Dangerous is too mild a word to describe what I was doing, integrating myself within these fractured souls. I had to monitor each thin strand at the same time. If the ghosts managed to fray even one, both Jenna and I would pay the price.

It took so long to get them all in place, I was afraid that I would lose my strength before I had time to complete the entire task. Then it took even longer to anchor her and myself. All the while the storm grew in intensity. The howls of the damned screamed in my ear, until I opened myself up to Planet.

You see I could not release their tormented selves, but I could act as a conduit to Planet. Through me Planet reached and from each tendril that I had woven it touched its mangled children. Some of them welcomed it, some clawed to get away as Planet pulled. A gentle but insistent tug that coaxed or coerced each wraith to it by the way of me.

If I had been conscious of the physical world I would have screamed. Who knows, I might have anyway. Close to a thousand of those fragmented souls spilled through mine on their way home, back to the Lifestream. I was the sieve, the vessel through which each piece was cleaned. Their memories assailed mine and in that second I lived bits of their lives even as I erased those memories to make those shards "blank".

It felt like murder to obliterate the tattered remains that the Mako process had left, but it was the only way that they could be integrated once more into the Lifestream. There they could be joined with other ambient "blank" energies. The souls would survive in a sense, and be reborn, but nothing of their old lives would remain at all.

The Planet's call took less than a heartbeat, but it was the most agonizing heartbeat of my life. I was weak too work to pull myself back together. That was when the Planet called to me, drawing each bit of my life energy back into one cohesive whole, and then Planet carried my back to my body. It cradled me the same way I had cradled Jenna. To poor Jenna, it gave the gift of natural sleep only then did Planet fade into the back of my mind.

I felt myself start to fall, too tired to consciously control my limbs. Only to have strong arms keep me upright in my chair. Someone lifted me and turned my head to his shoulder. Through the slits of my eyes I tried to make out the face of my rescuer. Sephiroth's face greeted me and I tried to push away, but my vision blurred then cleared long enough to see Henry's face frowning in concern.

Upon that realization the last of my strength faded, and darkness rose up to greet me. It wasn't until a small warm body crept onto the bed that I awoke even a little.

-Jenna- Memory supplied.

I pulled back the covers enough for her to crawl under. She felt so small and fragile when she snuggled into my arms. Her tiny body still wracked with shudders and chilled despite the warm blankets. Somehow and from somewhere I mustered up enough energy to cast a heating spell upon the blankets until they were warm enough to almost make me sweat. Slowly she relaxed, her head buried against my shoulder.

I tried to stay awake and offer more comfort, but the ordeal had sapped far too much out of me. Without much of a struggle, sleep claimed me again. I dreamed of children, of husbands, and wives, of moments stolen in happiness, and soft cries alone and in pain. So many instances of so many lives. They all bled together into a seamless tapestry of life. I took part in each piece and a part of me wished they were mine. A life lived until its inevitable conclusion is a precious thing.

The way we…evolve… in a handful of years is staggering. Joy and sorrow intermingle and become the template upon which we mark our decisions until the next bit of happiness and sadness changes that template again. But somehow, amidst all the changing and shaping, the core of each soul remains even if sometimes it is hidden so deep that we cannot find it, or recognize it.

It all made for a bittersweet Dreamtime. These glimpses of just what I was trying to save, and by extension what I would never have. Planet took this journey with me. Its love overshadowed by urgency and the need for me to understand.

"I understand, but that doesn't mean I won't wish it could be different," I knew I spoke the truth. I felt its sorrow too, far deeper than that of any soul I had touched. It did not want this pending, horrible ending any more than I. Its acknowledgement helped ease the pain a little. I know it sounds off, but having Planet to commensurate with softened the weight of my impending doom.

I woke up again when my arm went numb. You know the ole pins and needles feeling? Well Jenna's head had cut off the blood flow from my elbow down and my body had decided it was time to return to the natural order of things. What my body had not realized was that extricating myself from the little girl's death grip was not an easy task to accomplish.

It took several minutes and the creative use of a pillow to act as me to win my freedom. Jenna hardly noticed my departure with only a couple of incoherent murmurs to voice her displeasure at being disturbed. I smiled. After all it was a good sign that she was once again reacting to physical stimulus even if it was in sleep. I watched her for a bit. Her breaths came soft and regular, and the strain around her eyes was no longer so prominent. Yes, the soul is a resilient thing, able to survive and thrive even when it has little reason to do so.

A growl from my stomach reminded me that hunger trumps existential thinking anytime.

I really did not want to crawl back into my dirty traveling clothes. Funny how you can go from thinking about the fate the world to blanching at rumpled clothes isn't it?

Henry's uneven gait up the stairs heralded his arrival. I wondered what had given the man his heavy limp. My lip suffered my indecision to ask. _Is it something I could help with? I owe him that much at least. _

"There ye are lass." He called in an amiable tone. I think Henry likes having guests. " 'ow's the wee 'un?" His gnarled hands shooed me to a seat at the tiny table in the corner of the room when I tried to help him "Nae m'girl, today y' rest."

"She's still sleeping. She's live, but right now," I sighed and rubbed my eyes, "I can't even begin to guess at the damage done." Henry quieted a bit. His bushy eyebrows, grayed with time, knitted together.

" 'Ow bad could it be?" He sat down and began doling out the contents of the tray that he had brought with him. It was light fare, bread and cheese, with some sausage on the side. The food tempted my stomach and I succumbed long enough to nibble on a bit of bread and cheese.

"Well, I'll begin with what I know for certain. Jenna will wake up and be lucid, but her memories will be jumbled. Parts of her experiences will be gone, and she will remember things that she has never done, and people she has never met." I paused for thought, but also for a few more bites. Part of me yearned for a big cup of hot coffee, but caffeine would not replace the energy I had lost.

"Is it permanent?" He asked.

"I can't say for sure. I don't know how long she was in that pool. I think she will recover, but it will not be one hundred percent. The exposure was at least long enough to have caused some irreparable alterations."

"Ye know a lot about th' poisionin' lass."

"I lived in Midgar most of my life, the slums to be exact. Pretty much everyone there has some degree of Mako poisoning." I spoke the truth. Over the years and as my healing powers grew, I had treated numerous people. Though never any cases as bad as Jenna. I said as much Henry.

"Huh, well yer a damned site better'n then 'em Shira doctors. They rarely 'elped any'un."

"That's because they don't really understand what they're dealing with, Henry." And because their goal might not have been to cure anyone, but I couldn't bring myself to speak the words.

"Why'd ye never see worst cases in Midgar?" I frowned. It was a good question. Logic would dictate that Midgar be the heart of the worst of Mako poisoning. At least those areas hidden upon the ground and cut off from the sun.

"This is just a guess, but the slum's residents have been there for generations, and always exposed to low levels of Mako energy. They have probably built up a tolerance to it. Requiring higher and higher levels of Mako to make them sick. " Why the conclusion had never occurred to me before was peculiar, and a bit frightening. Hundreds of people with some resistance to Mako poisoning – perfect candidates for Soldier. I wonder if Shinra had ever realized the potential it sat upon, I hope not. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed unlikely. To the Shinra, the slums were just grunt workers and lower class citizens who's lives would never be worth a lot, much less worth the distinction of Soldier material.

"Lass?" He asked after a long silence. I looked up to meet those kind gray eyes. "Why'r they after ye?"

"Because they think that I can give them something, or rather lead them somewhere, but I can't." I read his confusion clear as day.

"That why yer travelin' alone?"

"No I… have to take care of something."

"Th' look ye wearin' tells 'ole 'Enry it's a mite more serious than ye be lettin' on." I smiled, but this time it was real.

"It is but…" I shrugged and let the gesture finish the sentence for me. What words could explain it all to him?

"Ye could stay here. Kalm needs a good healer. After what ye did fer the wee 'un nobody'd turn ye in."

"No," I shook my head as much to convince him as myself. "I appreciate the offer, but I have to see this through." I was tempted though. A normal life, but it would be a very short normal life if I stayed.

"Well, we'll git ye some good meals n' good rest. Ye' don' need ta worry 'bout leaving 'til yer ready."

"Thank you, Henry. I'll be leaving tomorrow morning. By then anyone should be able to tend to Jenna as long as they follow my instructions." That brightened his expression some. I had a feeling that Jenna would find a good home with Henry for as long as she wanted one.

"Henry?"

"Hmmmm?"

"What was she doing out there?" He sighed.

"Jenna's Da' was one o' th' more outspoken 'bout usin' Mako. Real smart fella. 'E was goin' t' Midgar t' show 'is findin's 'bout Mako poisioning. 'E took Jenna and 'is wife Margaret with 'im."

"I…didn't see any signs of anyone else."

"When they didnae check in, we sent out search parties. Only ever found the remains of a camp." I looked down at the half eaten food before me. Parents wouldn't just leave their child in the Midgar wastelands.

"You'll take care of her for me?" I asked and Henry nodded. My heart twisted in a strange rhythm, both pleased and sad in the same moment. "Thank you, Henry… For everything."

* * *

"You are a contradiction, little Cetra." I sighed, as my wish was not granted. Through the whole day I had hoped that something, anything but me would occupy Sephiroth's attention last night.

"And you are persistent." I shrugged. My response was neither witty, nor insightful. I didn't care. He just laughed.

"So I am. But," His tone turned soft and musing. "That is what the Shinra wanted no? Persistence. Dedication. Loyalty, well to them anyway."

"And the old man got a sword through his back. Guess they needed to go back to the drawing board huh? Though whose failing would that be, I wonder? Hojo's maybe?" I finally opened my eyes when it became apparent he planned to stay. No certain space greeted me though, just a nebulous changing landscape that could only exist in dreams.

"You say that question as if you already know the answer." I did not respond. Answering that question mattered about as much … well nothing. "You try my patience, Cetra." How could a tone be so soft and so menacing at the same time?

"I don't care."

"Perhaps you should start."

"Or what?" I turned and looked up at the towering figure just behind me. The demented would be god fixed me with a gaze so condescending that I wanted to slap him. "You'll kill me? You're planning that already." Venom dripped from my words, and my audacity surprised me. His eyes narrowed.

"I can make that death painless or pain-filled." He all but hissed.

"Pain? It only hurts if you let it." Why did I keep talking to him?

"Are you that ready to die?" He challenged. _Stop_. I told myself, _just stop and end this…whatever it is._

"No. I have no desire to die, Sephiroth." I felt his smile even as I watched it form. It was like a soft cold prickle on the back of my neck that made the tiny hairs stand on end in warning.

"Then come with me." I heard the sultry triumph in his voice.

"I have no desire to do that either." His smile faltered, then faded.

"As I said," He began, his tone terse and angry. "A contradiction."

"Not really. If I want to live, why would I consign everything, including myself, to die? You say you want to end Planet's suffering, become a God in which everything lives and is controlled. But you don't understand, Planet doesn't want to die, Sephiroth. It choose life, to give it, and receive it back when the time comes, even to humans who can't hear it." My chin tilted in an expression of my defiance, of my belief. No fear, no anger as I met those Mako filled eyes. I was drained of everything except my resolve. "The Cetra were its voice, and caretakers. We healed it, helped it, and were accepted by it. That was our legacy until Jenova came." I stopped, clipping off the rest of my words.

Was I trying to convince him, and if so...why? He was mad, insane, and power hungry, just like the ones he damned and deemed inferior. But if lies had driven him insane, could the truth bring him back? I doubted it, but like Planet, I wanted life so I had to try.

"So," I continued. "If you must take vengeance on something for Planet's suffering, take it out on your…Mother. She set all of this into motion long ago. You know you are not Cetra, Sephiroth. So why do you keep pretending?" Three quick steps closed the distance between us, his steps not mine. I felt his anger radiating off of him like a Mako reactor in full meltdown and saw the same in his eyes. Malice bled from his incandescent eyes in tiny drops of Lifestream that resembled perverse tears. But something else lurked behind the malevolence in those glowing depths. Something soft and unnamable, or was it just my imagination?

"And what good did it do the Cetra? The little ants scurried around their Planet-Queen fixing its hurts, healing the disease, and never destroying the source of the problem."

All of that time he spent in the Lifestream and still so much that Sephiroth hadn't learned. Amused, that is what his words inspired and I tilted my head as I watched him.

"How brave are you Sephiroth?" I challenged him this time. He frowned; confused I think that anyone would dare challenge his mental fortitude.

"What?" He asked in a tone that confirmed my analysis. I shrugged and stretched up until I stood on my toes. He still looked down on me from his greater height, but I was nearer eye level, and nearer to him.

"How brave are you? You claim so much power and most importantly knowledge. So are you willing to learn more, or just rattle off what Mommy told you?" I figured I had about even odds that he would accept my offer or leave. Either one was fine with me, because for once I had the upper hand, and I wasn't about to relinquish it.

He glared.

I held out one hand with a smile.

Planet held its proverbial breath, and even my ancestors fell silent. We all wondered if my insane little plan would work.

His hand wrapped around mine and a small shock passed through us both. It always happens when two minds truly meet for the first time. No longer were we thinking at each other through some disconnected passage, but instead our thoughts touched, sliding against and into one another. I tasted his complexity beneath his outer shell, smelled the multitude of layers encased within him. He was a heady sensation and some part of me wondered if he found the same distressing condrum in me. Kicking myself out of my reverie, I forced my concentration back to the task at hand.

This time I guided the Dreaming and our reality bent to my will. The world spun about us in a chaotic whirlwind of thought and memory. Time flowed backwards as the recollections of my ancestors spilled into him and me. Pictures and sounds flickered in and out of our perception, but Sephiroth did not look directly at them, nor did I. Instead he pulled me closer if such a thing were possible with our bound hands acting as bridge between us.

His eyes were my windows to the tornado around us. What reflected in his eyes, I drank in and I wondered if he saw the scenes playing out in mine. Everything shrunk and nothing existed unless it crossed his sight. My world lit only by the eerie green tint of Mako and pulse of Sephiroth's heart.

Then the spinning stopped.

* * *

Enjoy! 


	9. Open Your Eyes

**The Last Temptation**

**_Twilight Lament Oct. 2004_**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

_**Summary**: Aeris Gainsborough has known almost her entire life that she will be a sacrifice to save Planet and everything on it. Her destiny, something she struggles with often times raging against a cruel fate that will never allow her true happiness, and the guilt such uncharitable thoughts bring. But when the moment comes, it isn't Aeris that who rocks the tides of fate, but rather the very man who is supposed to kill her. Will that moment lead her to happiness? Or will it end everything?_

** Chapter 9**

_** Open Your Eyes**_

I thought he would look away, but he didn't. Strangely enough, I found no desire to look away either. It felt like I was falling, or had already fallen into him, and him into me at the exact same moment. The vision in his eyes expanded until I stood within the field that his gaze reflected. Bright sunlight eased the glare of Mako until every blade of grass and flower stood out in pride against the backdrop of the sky. In a blink I became aware of my shoes getting wet and the tickle of long grass as it grazed against my legs where my boots ended.

My brain started to consciously process what was in the periphery of my vision. With something that felt too much like regret for my satisfaction, I detached myself from his eyes until I could take in the world that we both stood in. Upon the highest hill surrounded by sunlight and trees, we rested as the only apparent living things. Sephiroth, still surrounded in his enigma and pride, watched me closely even as he drew me closer with a tug of his hand.

What was he thinking? I couldn't even begin to muster a plausible guess. His sneer gone, his eyes contemplative, yet refusing to reveal just what road his thoughts tread upon. This change in him made me nervous and perversely the only consolation I could find was imagining him, imagining my death at his hands. I guess it is far easier to keep Sephiroth in the roll that I knew than to tip toe into the uncertain waters he was presenting to me in that strange moment. The irony in the fact that this whole thing was to try and draw him from his homicidal state was not lost on me.

"The history books have it wrong, you know," Planet had nudged me gently, reminding why this was happening. "Hojo has no idea of the truth and Professor Gast only knew a tiny fraction before Shinra killed him."

-Oh Father, if only you had known, maybe things would have been different.-

Sephiroth saw Midgar in my eyes, or at least this field where Midgar would eventually come to stand. The sweeping plain and rolling hills were covered in grass. Bands of chocobo raced along unimpeded. It was a far cry from the barren wasteland that would come later.

"We came from the stars, seeking a new home as several of our base worlds had become dangerously overpopulated. No grand reasons, or pilgrimage for the Promised Land, that was only a myth to us then. It was for resources, pure and simple."

In his eyes I saw the ships of my ancestors land. Elegant machines of sleek design touched by both artistry and practicality. Three colony vessels settled in the dirt. Each one carried four hundred Cetra. The warriors disembarked first. Each man and woman garbed in elaborate armor that knew the lightweight and efficiency of technology, and the design of the Old Ways. The adamantium pieces, breastplates, and weapons glinted in the early morning sun that cast shadows over the faces beneath equally luminous helmets. Faces that oozed a cold detachment as eyes bearing the same lack of emotion took in the lay of the land in front of them.

In perfect formation and rhythm, these elite warriors spread out across the landing zone in an impenetrable perimeter. Sephiroth's admiration for these excellent soldiers seeped forth in the tiniest of smiles. His expression bore no calculation or malice; just appreciation for what to him was an art.

As well he should show appreciation. The Cetra military was the crowing achievement of technology and years of perfecting martial skills. Every child would spend five years in the military once they turned seventeen. During their service, they would learn not only the art of war, but also magic, and life skills. After their term, most found it easy to transition into new careers with all the training that they received.

"The Rek'sha, or warrior class. Strong. Dedicated. Persistent. Loyal." He chuckled with real amusement when I used his earlier words. He didn't speak though, waiting for me to name the rest that poured from the ships. "The Ova'sen, our healers and clergy, Cora'esh, excellent craftsmen, and En'sill, farmers, all came next. They knew that the planet was already inhabited. They just didn't care. Humans had little magic, and at the time no better structure than loosely organized tribes."

Each moment marked the years that past. The Cetra cities grew in size and number. Great buildings towered over an ever-shrinking landscape as the force of colonization hit full speed. On the outskirts of these strange new settlements scurried the humans who never dared venture too close to these awesome structures, nor the people who inhabited them. The small, nomadic tribes shrank back and retreated deeper into the wild and less hospitable places about the time that the Cetra began construction of the Capital, now known only at the Lost City.

"Soon enough the tribes stopped being afraid and became angry. At first the Cetra did not care."

The world around us blurred or shimmered. I'm not sure which. This bending of reality demanded our attention and we complied. Sephiroth and I watched as small bands of human warriors threw themselves at the Cetra only to die with little more than scratches left on the usurpers of their homes. It was heartbreakingly obvious that they held no sway against the Cetra and couldn't fight against a civilization that was so far advanced.

The seasons changed as we stood upon that field and saw the countless fruitless raids of humans. Snow once so pure soon turned the color of dried blood and glittering under a cold and uncaring moon. The walls of the city stood unmolested save for a nick here or there. Lower caste workers came out in the daylight to clear away the bodies. For the fallen, nothing came of their sacrifice other than to be piled ten deep in a pit, to be doused with gasoline, and then set on fire without a single note of lament to mark their passing.

"The humans became desperate as more and more they were pushed forward an dispersed along the wave of Cetra expansion. I suppose we took some solace in that we were not cruel. Only," I smirked, " Persistent. Dedicated. Loyal."

Up to the walls of city shambled a slow procession. Men dressed in somber robes with back bent in homage to the nest of power before them. From the walls of the city, the Cetra Prelate watched the groveling congregation. First they offered gifts of food, textiles, and jewelry. The lead man acknowledged the greater power of the Cetra, saying that the gifts were to show their respect for that power. The men pleaded with the imposing figure dressed in flowing robes marked with the insignias of his status. We couldn't hear their words, but the gestures and looks upon their faces told us that they begged for the relentless expansion to stop, for the killing to stop.

Upon the tower and flanked by the same implacable warriors, the Prelate smiled. It was a beautiful expression upon a perfect face. He lifted one slim and well-manicured hand. The human delegation paused and held their breath in hope. I could see it in their eyes, a hope for triumph, a surety that their pleas had not fallen on deaf ears. When the Prelate lowered his hand, the guards around him shot the human emissaries without a blink or twinge of remorse.

The scene shifted again. Still Sephiroth and I stood side by side, joined by clasped hands. Only this time we gazed into a roaring fire situated between log houses and surrounded by grim faces. Each of those faces held markings of his or her tribe. A few were even a little frightening to look upon. Two shamans sat before the group, tossing bones upon animal skins with sparks of the Life stream dancing around their fingertips. Each shaman mumbled and each body swayed back and forth. I saw their lips move and understood what was happening even though I could not hear the words, just the crackle of the ever-growing fire.

The human nations were no longer divided. In a bond of blood, sworn enemies buried the axes of their hatred with the threat of a more powerful foe.

The enemy of enemy…

"They learned how to attack us and leave scars that not even the best of our healers could vanquish. You see the Cetra were not lacking emotion, but emotion was not strong within us unless it was extreme. When the first ten Cetra died in a surprise attack upon one of the supply convoys, my ancestors felt the burn of rage."

A bright light, orange and red, billowed up a mile from the Cetra outpost that we found ourselves hovering above. Sephiroth could not hear them, but I could. Deep inside my soul I heard the anguished screams of the dead and the bellowing rage of those that lived.

Night passed quickly into day, and several Cetra vehicles roared up to the outpost. From all doors poured Cetra warriors. Each man and woman armed to the teeth and bearing expression of barely suppressed fury. Into the middle of the fervor stepped the Prelate. His eyes set in an unreadable mask and every line of his face marked by grim determination. Around him he saw the cold visages of the Cetra military. They were ready. He was ready.

"Where we had been content to ignore the humans before, the Cetra now wanted the annihilation of every human, down to the children still in the womb."

Time sped up all around us. It only slowed upon occasions to witness battle. Battle after battle after battle. I looked at Sephiroth as the knowledge of this war was so deeply ingrained within me that I did not need to see the carnage to know that it was the truth. His face was as unreadable as the Prelate's had been. The only indicator that this telling affected him at all was the steady pulse in his eyes and the ever-increasing glow within them.

Days bled into weeks, then months then years, and the fighting never seemed to stop, and piles of the dead grew higher as did the flames that fed from them. Never did we hear a sound. Forced to watch this silent film of death and destruction. Part of me prayed for sound. Anything to end the surreal tempo.

The humans managed to keep their losses down, but it was a small comfort to them when the blood and bodies of their people littered once green fields that were now brackish and barren from war. Their homes destroyed, and they were forced to live on the run, as it was far too dangerous to attempt a settlement. Exhaustion and hunger claimed almost as many as the battles.

Something stirred in Sephiroth. Memory peaked free and echoed in his eyes. He watched the war of the Cetra, but I watched the battle of Wutai in his Mako eyes. Though I saw it from his perspective, I could tell that Sephiroth was quite young when he led the onslaught upon the once proud nation.

Captains scurried to carry out his orders and Sephiroth himself took to the field. The Masmune cut through the Wutai legions with frightening ease. Where other soldiers met their match with the Wutainese army, Sephiroth had no equal. So elegant and precise in the death he dealt. I doubted anyone had ever mastered his or her chosen art as fully as he. Was that all he was? A weapon to be unleashed by whoever held the reigns?

It was over in a week, the rebellion crushed and the proud nation brought to heal under the iron fist of Shinra. Through his eyes, I saw the General of the Wutainese army bow in defeat to Sephiroth, offering his, and his countries surrender. I shuddered at the sights Sephiroth saw, at the grisly scene that lay past the General. So many dead.

"Yes, almost exactly like that." I heard myself speak and wondered that I was able to keep my voice steady at all. "Eventually the Cetra devised the Final Solution." Sorrow crept into my voice. My sorrow mixed with the sorrow of thousands before me, and I turned away from Sephiroth "We would cut the human population from the Lifestream. They would die, but would not return, and thus could not be reborn. We estimated it would take approximately two generations to completely obliterate the human race."

Again the world spun in a dizzy tornado and I felt Sephiroth and I being propelled forward. Cold settled into my bones and the air grew thick as if it were freezing around us. Unconsciously I moved closer to him, or was it him to me? Maybe both? I'm not sure. Only that I found myself pressed so tightly against him, and held so strongly by him that I could barely breath. This flight or propulsion seemed to last an eternity. That is if eternity was marked in a matter of seconds.

Everything went black and all I knew was that Sephiroth and I had been separated. I panicked. Reaching out in the darkness for any sign that I was not alone. I could not even feel Planet. In the darkness I could not see the world lurch forward. The only indication I had that _something_ happened was the sickening sinking of my stomach.

It was over in a bright flare of light that left me blinded. When the illumination faded, I stood in a circle of mages. Their power so strong that I could taste it in every breath. I did not see Sephiroth at first, but I felt the connection between us and the current of his questioning thoughts.

"The amount of power required was staggering to think about even for well practiced mages." My thoughts took on a soft timber in respect to the solemn scene. "Even the mages assembled knew they might not survive the casting, but they no longer cared about their individual survival as long as the humans perished in the aftermath. But in order to complete their macabre plan, the mages had to tie themselves to the fount of life, to Planet. "

Mage lights flared to life around the room and I recognized the place from my dreams, or rather nightmares. A glittering pool rested in complete tranquility beneath the marble floor. Tall columns reached up to support the ornate roof of the altar. I would die in this room, and I shied away from the site only to greeted by elaborate robes upon my arms. The robes of the Order of Mages. Shocked I looked up quickly to see Sephiroth across from me, dressed in the same.

He looked just a touch confused. At least I think he did. Having never seen confusion on Sephiroth's face, I did not feel competent to identify the emotion in him. Still it was the most logical conclusion. I found highly unlikely that something like indigestion was the cause of his facial contortion. Confused or no, I doubt Sephiroth missed a detail of this place, and likely guessed at what we were about to witness.

Between us were more mages to complete the circle. Their lips moved and the melody of the chant washed over me. The dulcet tones were the first sound other than my voice that either of us had heard during this journey. But neither Sephiroth nor I joined in the ceremony. Instead we watched each other even as observed the ancient ritual designed to kill an entire species. I felt no response from him. I frowned and almost sent another thought to him only to be interrupted as something rushed into the room with the weight of an inferno.

Power, raw and without purpose, flooded the room and filled in the circle of mages. This strong force worked its way into me until I grew intoxicated with the sensation. I felt fire and electricity rip through every cell of my body. Through the link between us I knew Sephiroth felt the same sudden euphoria. This power so old and untouched threatened to tear us apart. In that moment I wanted so desperately to fall into it and be burned to ash within its brilliance, but Sephiroth mind drew me back from the brink of suicide. He grounded me even as I did the same for him.

How could I not marvel at this wonder? If it felt this strong in a Remembering, what must it have felt like to those mages of long ago? I admit Sephiroth usurped some of my attention. His thoughts held onto my own under the waves of energy. Why? I am unsure just why he felt the need to keep me from being lost. My wandering thoughts were abruptly returned when I felt something so dear and familiar swell beneath that power to claim it as its own.

Planet.

You see in order to pull enough energy to severe the tie for all of humanity, the Cetra had to connect directly to Planet use it as a conduit for that power. I felt the bond snap into place and myself open up to the ancient entity. The hum of Planet echoed in the room as it manifested part of itself in answer to the Cetra's call. They had made on critical error though.

By bonding with Planet, they allowed it an avenue of control. No longer in the forced roll of observer, Planet acted. The drunken sensation of power and completion was swept away and then replaced by pain and agony. I think I screamed at the onslaught.

All of my life I've felt Planet's pain, but never with this sharpness and clarity. It was an agony that permeated every part of me and every mage present in the circle. Even Sephiroth trembled under the massive weight. Through the haze of what I felt, I saw his eyes narrow. A sharp stab lanced through the link we shared. Again we reached for one another, needing something to help stave off the pain.

Anguish poured down the blood ties of my ancestors until every Cetra on Planet fell to their knees. Their was misery so great that they could not even scream. I knew the pain was killing me, killing us all as Planet proved to us in no uncertain terms the enormity of what we had done and what we had attempted. I could do nothing in this pain, only feel myself, or rather the mage whose place I had taken in the circle, die.

It only took a matter of seconds for the circle of mages to perish only to be sucked into blackness under Planet's demand for a sacrifice. All the Cetra felt their lives slip away and profound grief replaced the pain. However, the grief was not simply for the mages, it was also for the torment Planet had suffered in the long war. A burden descended upon those still living in the form of complete knowledge of the destruction they had wrought.

Again I drifted in darkness, a nebulous self with no form. Something touched me in the dark and tranquil sea. I knew without needing to check that the something was Sephiroth. We wound into each other again and held tight. In this strange embrace I found comfort from the remnants of Planet's pain. I wonder if he felt the same? For a long time we drifted in that darkness unable to find words, nor would we be granted the chance.

The Planet of old flooded the darkness and us once again with its presence. I realized that we were not alone. The rest of the mages drifted in this void with us and I think they would have wept in relief if they still had bodies to form tears. Such was the power of Planet's peace, warmth, and deep sorrow. Such bittersweet beauty.

A moment of perfect peace in which Planet bound the disembodied souls of the Cetra mages to itself, and by extension the entire Cetra nation. One by one, the living felt this silvery tether slipped around their souls. This was Planet's price for the carnage. We would become its caretakers, its voices, and its children's protectors. Planet's price and our penance.

The strength of the remembering lessened all around us. Once again we had form and once again our hands were clasped together in the nebulous dream world. For all that we had just endured together, I was loath to shatter that moment. Was this feeling peace or contentment? Or was I simply in awe to have experienced it all? Who knows for sure? What I did know was that nothing in my life had ever felt more right than to be standing in that strange dreamscape so close to Sephiroth.

Ironic huh?

"We dismantled all of our cities, all but one." My voice stayed quiet, barely more than a whisper in a vain attempt to prolong the closeness. Even if I was the only one that felt it. "We integrated ourselves into human life. For one thousand years Cetra and humankind lived together. It was not always easy, but no longer did we stand at the brink of annihilation."

Nothing. Not a flicker of response from him.

"Do you see?" I queried him. "We were not chosen, Sephiroth, at least not to be elevated above humans. We weren't seen as better than them." Desperation welled up until I all but choked on it. I knew he had felt Planet's First Touch with the same clarity that I had, but had it been enough to make him see past the lies of his life?

He dropped my hand and I felt bereft of the contact. Suddenly empty and hallow. With a shudder, I wrapped my arms around myself. A frown marred his beautiful features. His face played out the innumerable of thoughts that swirled in his head, but he gave me no clue as to what path those thoughts were taking. Gone was the cold arrogance, and sneering self-assurance. In their place was a man deep in thought over events that ran contrary to almost everything he had ever been taught and come to believe. A twinge of envy hit me for even in his confusion, Sephiroth never looked lost.

Upon that envy came the realization of Sephiroth's strength. A sigh clogged my lungs. Had Sephiroth truly been Cetra, he would have been the Planet's greatest champion.

-Second greatest. - Planet whispered, but agreed with the rest of my estimation.

"Do you lie to me, Cetra?" He question in the same moment that he reached out with both hands. Cool fingertips crept up my cheekbones and into my hair, tangling themselves within. It occurred to me that I felt fear in the pit of my stomach. Just moments before I had lamented the absence of his touch. But this was different, heavy in expectation. His thumbs traced the ridge of my eyes "No, I do no think that you do." Silence, and then his eyes closed.

He believed me? Stunned, I let that particular notion travel slowly over me. I had been so afraid that he would turn away and damn the tale of my people as a lie meant to deceive him. A giddy relief spread through me and I allowed the calm strokes of his thumbs to further soothe my frayed nerves. Again a sense of peace of rightness crashed over me. It was over.

"But this is the same, Cetra." His tone hardened in arrogance again. I flinched back from his hold, but he refused to relinquish me. The motions of his thumbs became rough, cruel even until they stopped all together. In one quick pull, he tugged me flush against him again. Pain entered my skull as he pulled me to my toes and almost to eye level with him. His snapped open with that dark insanity once again in place "Too many crimes have gone unpunished."

"NO!" I cried from the depths of my heart. "Sephiroth, please, please don't do this. " I heard the tremor of fear and anguish in my voice. My hands curled into his coat. In one quick motion he released my head from his painful grasp only to secure me around the waist with one arm.

"Hush," He spoke in a soothing tone while he placed one finger against my lips. "You have made my purpose so clear. For that alone I will hold you above all others." His arm tightened around me just as his hand found the back of my neck. I wondered, with some insane part of my mind, if he was trying to absorb me. "That is if you turn back now," I knew the words he would speak next. I had heard them so many times before. "Choose me."

I did not wait for him to move. I did not wait for him to leave. His closeness became an affront to the sanctity of what we had shared. All through me I pulled every ounce of disappointed and despair until that energy boiled within me. A sudden flare formed as I pushed it from me and into him. So strong that even Sephiroth could not weather the onslaught. My desperation shoved him away, forced his mind from mine.

It hurt when I ripped him free. Like pulling of a bandage that had adhered tightly to a wound.

Once free I ran back to myself. My soul sped by tears and pain. Right into Planet's embrace I fled and Planet shared my sorrow.

* * *

A/N: Originally this chapter was longer, but in retrospect I decided to split it in two. Something about this ending demanded this part of the story to stand alone. Hope you enjoy! 


	10. Running

_**The Last Temptation**_

_**Twilight Lament**_

_Oct. 2004_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

_**Chapter Ten:**_

_**Running**_

"Aeris, lass." A rough hand shook my shoulder. It took what felt like an eternity to come back to myself. After the dreamtime encounter with Sephiroth, I had remained in Planet's embrace for the rest of the night. Comforting, but not very restful. When I opened my eyes, Henry's worried face loomed above me. "Lass, ye 'ave t' hurry. Shinra is a comin'." Nothing could have woken me up faster. I bolted up so fast that I smacked my head into Henry's. Not hard mind, you but hard enough.

"How much time?" I asked with more calm than I felt. Throwing off the covers, I hurried about the room I shared with Jenna. My few belongings shoved back into my bag except for a change of clothes. Through the cracked bathroom door I heard Henry.

"Not long. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes?" I decided to count on ten minutes. It's amazing how fast someone can move when they absolutely have to be quick. Granted my ponytail was crooked, one boot half unlaced, and my shirt was on inside out, but who really keeps track of such small details when one's possible jailers are bearing down on you? I all but flew down the stairs, calling out Henry even as I bolted for the small stable out back.

"I've left all of my notes on Jenna's treatment upstairs." _Jenna, _my heart clenched over her name. Part of me wanted to stay with her, take care of the girl who would never be able to lead a normal life. How could I just leave her like this? _Because if I don't leave she will not have a life, normal or otherwise. _"Give her the medicine twice a day. A cup and a half full in the morning, and a cup at night. Remember to keep her warm and," I tossed the saddle onto Vaserian's back and apologized silently to him for my rough treatment. I don't think he minded though. One talon stamped impatiently, or perhaps nervously. He knew something was very, very wrong.

"Right, no worries, lass, I'll be takin' good care o' her." I nodded and continued to rattle of instructions, even though the notes upstairs were far more detailed. I couldn't help but feel like I had abandoned her. Though as I spoke, I finished saddling up Vaserian, and attached my packs to the hooks.

I don't think Henry knew what to think of next. I turned around fast and drew him into a big hug. I knew I would miss him. His easy presence and kindness were so rare in the world. I felt his arthritic arms curl around me.

"I'm sorry, Henry...I" Tears clogged my throat and burned eyes. I pulled back and turned my head swiftly to Vaserian.

"Dinnae worry 'bout us, lass." He patted my shoulder.

I wanted to breakdown with his empathy, to let this horrible weight and guilt go for even a second. But the sound of thunderous vehicles came within range. Without a second thought, I threw myself onto Vaserian's back. I only had a enough time to look back for second before Vaserian launched himself over the fence. His talons clattered on the cobblestone roads. Shouts of the villagers pervaded the air and people dived to one side or the other, fleeing the path of a chocobo in full stride. With seconds we were out of the town. Me clinging on the reigns for dear life and Vaserian putting any chocobo in the Gold Saucer races to utter shame.

The sounds of the vehicles echoed in the east so we went west. Vaserian's head lowered and I felt him pull for even greater speed. My legs clenched around his barrel so that I could drop the reigns into my lap. My hands clapped together and the familiar tingle of magic touched my palms. I aimed the tiny magical sphere at Vaserian and felt the burst of the Haste spell spill over him. Soon the landscape was nothing but a red and brown blur with blue overlapping it. The wind stung my eyes and soon enough tears formed and I couldn't make out much at all after they did. So I relied on my ears. Even with the haste spell the din of helicopter blades grew louder. I risked letting go of the reigns again with one hand long enough to wipe at my eyes.

I looked back at the ridge Vaserian had just cleared only to be greeted by the sight of three helicopters with the Shinra logo emblazoned upon them clear the ridge. My heart seized panic because right behind them six military trucks rumbled over the same ground. They were getting closer and my Haste spell wouldn't last much longer. Sure I could caste another one, but those crucial seconds between one spell and the other would allow them to gain even more ground on us. Maybe enough ground to catch us. Vaserian could outrun the trucks in a sprint, but where could we hide this close to Midgar? No towns, no forests... nothing but dying, flat land for miles and miles. I knew I had to think of something anything! But my mind remained stubbornly free of a plan and instead ventured ever closer to panic.

I hunkered down lower over Vaserian's back. Hoping to balance my weight more evenly for him so that he could run even faster. Imagine my surprise when I realized that the Haste spell should have worn off, but we showed no sighs of slowing down. Vaserian was maintaining the break neck speed all on his own. With a pat to his neck I looked up and back. The helicopters were still gaining ground upon us. Enough that I could see a familiar red haired figured standing on the edge of one.

Reno... I felt the tears rise again. Over the years the Turks had become quasi friends, even if they were trying to capture me. My eyes met his and I saw his sadness. The game was finally over. There would be no mistake on their part allowing me to escape this time. His arms looked leaden, robotic when he lifted the grappler. In it's mouth I saw the carefully folded net. If even one of it's ropes hit Vaserian's legs, he'd fall. Reno might not have wanted to pull the trigger, but he did anyway. The net lept from the gun and spread out in the air like a spider's web. The contraption sped uneerringly towards Vaserian and I. Part of me paniced, but some part of me also knew exactly what to do. I felt the tension of magic grow within me again. My mind giving it shape and direction. The net was maybe fifteen feet from us when it went up in flames. By the time it reached fourteen feet nothing but ash remained. The bits and pieces slowed, the weights on it's ends clattered harmlessly around us, and the powerdy ash fell softly to the ground.

Reno's eye widened in surprise and respect. I couldn't help but feel a small echo of pride. Respect from a Turk is high praise indeed. But it did not last long. My head turned to look further back behind us. The side doors of the trucks opened and mechanical arms whined as they slid out from the vehichles. Two arms on each truck. Each one held a motorcycle, and upon the motorcycle sat Soldiers. Not just any Soldiers either. These guys were all first class. Maybe I should have felt flattered that Shinra had sent not only the Turks after me, but also Soldier. Yeah right. Flattery wasn't really the first thing on my mind. Especially not when the motorcycle engines roared to life and the squeal of the tires as they touched the ground pierced the air over and over again. The clasps holding on the bikes released and ten Soldiers sped fast towards me before spreading out in a semi-circle to prevent my esacpe.

They altered their course, driving me North towards the ocean. Knowing that I had no way of the crossing the murky depths. It was only a matter of time before I had to stop running because I would have no other place to run to. I bit down into my lower lip hard enough to make it bleed. What was I going to do? I had no idea. Vaserian's breathe was coming harder and even if we did have enough land to run on, he couldn't keep this pace up much longer. The motorcycles remained in formation but each second brought them a little closer to us. Eventually one broke. Picking up greater speed to make a run at us. I could barely see him out of the corner of my eye.

One hand lashed out behind me and unleashed a cyclone of fire. It was enough to slow them down and break up the neat little formation. I leaned over Vaserian gently urging him along.

"I have a plan...It's crazy but I have one." His ears turned back towards my whispers, and again, as if he could understand me, the chocobo put on a desparate burst of speed. I could smell the salt here the waves ahead of us and I knew Shinra's people felt assured of victory. With my hands clasped in front of me, I started to mutter again. Praying to Planet and anyone else that would listen to give me the strength for what I was about to attempt. Water sprayed up over my leg when Vasarian hit the surf, and I let the words spill from my throat in a desparate cry. The water started to turn to ice, and I heard the loud crunch when Vasarian's claws dug into the slick surface for better purchase. Once he attained adequate footing, he picked up speed again, though not as much as before.

I turned my head just in time to see the motorcycles veer wildly to avoid the ice patch. One hand held over Vasarian's head to lead the path of ice, I threw the other out behind us. Fire erupted again, striking the ice with a snap and sizzle. Even if the vehicles couldn't follow, I found myself unwilling to risk it. The sea rolled in a boil at the sudden heat and ice retreated behind us. I kept the pace steady, hoping to take some of the strain off of the chocobo I rode. Overhead the spin of the helicopter blades neared, but over the water, they didn't have too many options for capture. If they tried anything, it would be more likely they would send us careening into the ocean. I could see the shock return in Reno's eyes. No one in recorded history had been able to cast two completely different spells at once. My eyes locked to his and I saw him mouth the words...

"I'm sorry, Aeris." I knew what he meant and greeted his apology with a sad smile of my own. In another time, another life, things would have been different.

Ten minutes later the helicopter veered off and headed back for the mainland. I can only assume that its full supply ran low. I slowed our pace, letting the firespell fall to the wayside and kept my concentration upon the icy path I needed to form. Somewhere there were islands, and one of those would be my goal. It should take us close enough to the Northern continent, and still give us a decent place to rest. We'd both be tired after this, no doubt about that in the least.

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A/N Yeah a lil short I know!


	11. So Many Goodbyes

_**The Last Temptation**_

_**Twilight Lament **_

_**Oct. 2004**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

_**Chapter 11: So Many Goodbyes**_

Tonight we made camp on the opposite side of the island closest to the Northern Continent. In the morning it wouldn't take more than a few minutes to reach its shores. My heart clenches and for the first time, I am forcing myself to think about all of it. By nightfall tomorrow, we'll be at the edges of the Sleeping Forest. The following night we should reach the Lost City, or Corvash as my people had named it.

Then it would take an entire day to summon holy.

Three days, that is all that is left to me.

I want to be strong and sure, but I feel the tears gathering. Somehow I don't think this part of my journal will be legible.

I think of them, my friends, in short bursts. A memory here, a recollection there. Each time it hurts. I wonder if they are okay, it they are looking for me. Am I being overly dramatic? Does it really matter?

I can't stop thinking about Cloud and the guilt for it is heavy. He belongs to Tifa despite whatever infatuation or responsibility he might feel towards me. But Cloud isn't here, so I guess there really isn't any harm in wanting him, right?

He kissed me on our 'date' at the Gold Saucer. Now I kinda wish that I hadn't let him. I know it was wrong. I know it would have been better to regret not doing it, than allowing...okay I'll be honest... indulging myself in it. But still...

I can't help but smile at the memory. We'd just been yoinked into the play. Something about a princess and a dragon. I must admit that we screwed up the play pretty badly. But what can you expect from a flower girl from the slums and a guy whose mind is so fractured he isn't even sure who he is anymore? Anyway, we laughed about the play all the way to the gondola ride. In fact I don't think I'd ever laughed so hard in my entire life. I'd developed a stitch in my side and hurt like you wouldn't believe. Cloud helped me into the carriage, letting me fall back against the soft seat so I could regain my composure, or at least try to. I knew then how torn he was inside and the longer we talked, the more my heart ached. Was it because he reminded me of Zach? I don't think so. Even as much as he'd assumed Zach's life, there is still so much about him that is purely...Cloud.

We'd both leaned towards the window to watch the fire works. I didn't notice at first when his hand brushed mine. Not until he strengthened the contact anyway. His fingers, rough with calluses, felt so hot against the backs of mine. My hand started to shake under his. How long had I wanted this very thing? Just such a simple contact. I looked down and saw his hand, watched as his fingers curled gently around my own. His thumb started to stroke the edge of mine and I felt my breathe catch in my throat. Zach had never done more than hold my hand, and it hadn't created the strange fluttering feeling in the pit of my stomach that Cloud did with his touch. My own gasp reached my ears when his other fingers found my chin. Ever so slowly he exherted a gentle force, and in response I lifted my eyes to his. Mako eyes and Ancient eyes met one another and I let out another small gasp at what I saw.

Desire...

For me...

"Aeris," His gentle whisper caressed my ears with such a soft and stark need that I thought I would cry. My throat worked, but for the first time in a long time, I couldn't find any words. But I guess my emotions shown clearly enough in my eyes for even Cloud to read, because he started to lean towards me. Little by little he came closer until I felt the brush of his breathe against my lips. So warm and sweet. I could taste his breathe on my tongue when I inhaled at the same time. His eyes grew heavy lidded and even as his fingers squeezed mine, he tilted my chin up a little further. I knew I should have pulled away, I should have stopped him, but...I...I didn't want to. Damn me, but I wanted this memory. Something to cherish and hold onto. Some savior I am right?

I can still taste him. I still remember how it felt when his lips touched mine. So soft and gentle. It was a chaste kiss, just his lips against mine. It was a moment that seemed to stretch out for an eternity and the entire time, my mind was screaming for me too pull back. But I didn't, and when he pressed his lips harder against mine, I felt such a rush. This strange surge of electricity all along my skin. A little moan parted my lips when his tongue brushed against my lower lip. Embolden by my response, his tongue slipped past my teeth, just enough to brush the roof of my mouth.

Suddenly I was in his lap. Our hands still entwined and squeezed so tightly together it was painful. His other hand entangled in my hair and mine his. I kissed him as if his breathe could save me, as if his touch could erase everything that would come. I kissed him the way anyone who knows they're going to die tries to grab onto the one thing they desired and loved the most. I grabbed onto him with a cry and whimper that left him confused but unwilling to break away. The kiss turned rough, forceful and needy on both our parts. I thought time had stopped and perhaps the universe was going to allow me this one reprieve.

Then the ride came to a jolting halt. The carriage swinging back and forth with enough force that I almost fell in the floor. Only his strong arms saved me, cradled me against his chest. I couldn't look up at him. I knew he'd kiss me again and I didn't think I could stop him. Hell, I knew I couldn't stop him. Slowly I stood, my fingers still entwined with his. I knew he was confused at my sudden change in behavior, and I felt bad for letting it go so far.

At my room, he kissed my forehead and before he could do anything else, I darted inside and closed the door behind me.

It would have been pointless for me to let it go any further than it hard. Already it had made things far more difficult on myself and on Cloud. I love him though, and I wish... Well it doesn't matter what I wish. It's better than it was left where it was.

Tifa, Tifa, even though we love the same man, I still consider you a good friend. I think you always knew how I felt about him, and I'm sorry for being a little, errrr, weird about him at times. I know you'll do right by him thoug, and I know you'll make him do right by you. You're so strong and I've always looked up to your strength. He'll need that you know?

I can't help but grin writing this you know. Just the image of you smaking that spikey head with a frying pan when you're married is enough to cause hysterical laughter. Just make sure you don't cause permanent brain damage. In the future, he's going to look off sometimes, like he's not really there. Part of him is always going to be connected with Mako and the Lifestream. So sometimes it's going to pull at him, make him feel like he should be somewhere else. It'll pass though, just be patient with him.

Take care of him for me okay?

Yuffie Kisarangi. You know sometimes you were more trouble than you are worth. Heh... I'm just kiddin'! I do have something to tell you though, and I hope it will mean something to you. You don't need materia to resurrect Wutai. You're strong, your people are strong, believe in them and yourself. If you do that, trust me when I tell you that you'll find more power in a single piece of materia than in a mountain sized pile of it. It's strength comes from you. Stay sharp kiddo! And for the love of Planet stop stealing from people!!

Cait Sith, or should I say Mr.-Reeve-head-of-Shinra-Urban-Developement hmmmm? You betrayed us, but you also helped us. I understand why you did it. I know you were just trying to lessen the damage to other innocent lives. But...this goes beyond anyone person or even a group. I hope you continue to help them, Reeve. I have this feeling you're going to discover more about your own worth. In the end, I think it will take everyone to get the job done. Even with what I'm going to do, there's still going to be Sephiroth and Jenova to deal with after. You have a good heart. Trust in it more often.

Cid, I don't know you as well as some of the others. We never got to spend enough time together. Still I know that beneath your...ahem... colorful vocabulary, you're just a big softy! Keep following your dreams. There is so much out there to see, and I wish. Well, I know you're going to do great things even after all of this is over. Dreams need to be shared though. If you share yours, I think you'll reach them faster, and find more than you thought possible. Oh yeah... STOP BEING SO MEAN TO SHERA! She's just trying to look out for you.

Barrett. Y'know between you and Cid I think you could corrupt the next generation. Marlene is a sweet girl, and as long as you have her, you're not alone. You've always been so strong. Remember though that even the strongest sometimes need to lean on others to get through the day. Let your guilt go, Barret. Sometimes things just happen no matter what our best intentions are. And... thank you for everything.

Nanaki... You are more like me than anyone. We're both the last... well maybe ... of our respective kinds. Not to mention we're both just now finding our ways in this world. I was so happy to be able to go with you through the Gi Cave. To see your Father and to see that heavy weight lifted from your shoulders. You shouldn't have to carry that burden. Take care of Bugenhagen he's older than he lets on you know. I just have one more thing to say, because there is too much that needs to be said. I am honored to have met you and had the chance to be your friend. Help watch over Planet, please.

Vincent, if Nanaki is the most like me, you are the one who best understood. So many times I wanted to tell you. I know you wouldn't betray my confidence, and I knew you would understand that I have to do this. But you carry enough burdens my friend. SHE would want you to be happy, and I think she'd be first to tell you that it wasn't your fault. How could you know just what Hojo had planned. I'm not even sure that HE knew just how powerful Sephiroth would really be. Hind sight is always perfect Vincent, so please, don't be too hard on yourself, and take care.

Cloud, I really don't know what to say to you. In you I saw the future I would never have, but it didn't make me sad, well not all the time. It's selfish of me to think of what might have been and I'm really sorry for that kiss. Everything is going to sort out, and I know that one day you'll see that you aren't weak, or worthless. Worth isn't measured in how hard you swing a sword. The reason you didn't make the cut for soldier had nothing to do with if you were worthy. It's because you do have some latent Cetra blood. Too little for Shinra to detect (thank Planet!), and it would have made it hard for the Mako treaments to work on you. The only reason it infected you at all is because they subjected you to such a high dose. Take good care of Tifa, Cloud. She deserves it and so do you.

Sephiroth. I'm not sure why I feel compelled to write you a goodbye. I should hate you, loathe your existance and what it means for me, but I can't. I know you don't want my pity or sympathy, so I won't bother. After last night, I'm so angry with you. Damnit why couldn't you just wake up! Then neither of us would have to face this aweful destiny we're careening towards. I do hope though that you get to meet your real Mother when this is all over, and maybe when you're reborn, things will be different for you. I'll pray for that once I'm with Planet again. I'm sure I'll talk you to before then. Hell I'm reasonably sure you won't ever see this letter. But I'm sorry, Sephiroth.

I'm sorry I can't save you.

I think about leaving the notes for them at the excavation site near the Forest, but should I? They are all going to have a hard enough time with my death as it is. Should I leave them reminders of that? I don't think so. It just seems far too unfair.

Damn...

Three days...

Fleh, sometimes I hate Fate.

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Last night I dreamed of Costa Del Sol, but because I called it up, not Sephiroth. I recreated the vivid sunset and basked in the last imaginary rays. Kicked back in a beach chair and sipping a margarita, I let the water lull me to sleep. When we had visited the resort, Cloud and I had stayed up all night talking. Mostly about his fears and his insecurities. He didn't like to talk about them with Tifa or the others. With me, he felt like he wouldn't be judged and that someone could offer sympathy without the humilation of pity. We watched the sun set and then rise together before heading back to the hotel and grabbing some early breakfast while everyone else was still asleep.

It's funny, we saw this condo for sale near the beach. It really was beautiful. High cielings with lazy spinning fans. A HUGE bathroom, and a kitchen fit for any gourmet chef. The price though. WOW it was steep. More than we could afford even if we pooled everyone's money together and sold off all our gear. Cloud proclaimed that one day, when it was all over, he'd buy it for me so I wouldn't have to live under the plates of Midgar anymore. In a magnanimous tone he even proclaimed that I'd just have to let him use the last guest room whenever he came around. His wide, expressive shyly peeked over at me from beneath that spikey hair. I smiled and squeezed his hand, telling him that I might just be nice enough to let him buy a place like this for me.

We sat in a coffee shop. His head turned towards the large bay window with its perfect view of the beach. I knew he was worrying about Sephiroth, about me.

When my eyes opened in my dream, I saw Cloud standing in front of me. Caught in one of his rare moments of happiness. His smile quiet, almost shy, and his eyes half hidden under wet blonde hair. It had taken all day to coax Cloud into the water, but once he did, he relaxed. The first time since I had know him he'd let go. Splashing Yuffie, dunking Cid, and floating next to me as the waves rolled us back and forth from the shore. I had watched him for a long time, committing each detail to memory so that I would always remember how peaceful he looked in that moment.

I could've had the dream-Cloud talk to me, but why put myself through that kind of torture? Instead, I contemplated his visage, and wondered what his and Tifa's children would look like. Would they have his hair? Her eyes? Would they have Tifa's open smile, or Cloud's more subdued one? Those particular ruminations let the sadness slip away from my thoughts. I lost myself in those immagings and others. Letting the peace that they inspired settle over me while sitting on the nighttime beach of my dream Costa del Sol.

Cloud's image pulsed and spun just before something split it in two. A face hidden behind the dream until he pushed forth, breaking the illusion without a second thought. Sephiroth banished Cloud. His impassive face taking the place of the one I had called.

GAH! That man really irks me! Of course I'm pretty sure that's why he does what he does. It's his way to toy with people.

"Dreaming of the puppet, Cetra?" He quirked a brow. Arms crossed in front of him and even in the dream the smell of leather hit my nose. Was it my imagination or did he sound...indignant? "That is...dissappointing." Then it was my turn to quirk a brow, pushing the sunglasses down so that I could get a better look at the stoic General in front of me.

"Why do you care?" I flinched from the venom in my tone. Couldn't he allow me just one night's peace? I waited for a response and I got...

Silence...

Then I waited for him to leave in disgust, but got...

Nothing...

Annoyed, my eyes narrowed and I pushed up out of the lawn chair. Forgetting that I had dreamed myself up an itsy, bitsy, tiny, weeny, blue polka dot bikini.

"All right then...Who, in your esteemed opinion, should I be dreaming about?" My bare foot tapped a rapid beat against the sand. Inside I think my blood started to boil. It certainly felt like it.

Silence. He was acting weird. Well weirder than his normal come-to-destroy-the-world-bow-before-me-weak-mortals self. It was my dream afterall, and it's not like he walked in on Cloud and I... eerrr...nevermind...anyway moving on with the story.

"Oookay... Since you've turned into some glaring statue, I'm going to go talk to a wall." Still nothing. I pondered dumping his illusory self into the insubstantial ocean. I wasnted him gone, but even him talking was better than this stoney silence. Then... I grinned and reached up, slowly pulling the sunglasses down further. Just enough to look him right in the eye. "Awwww you're aren't jealous are you?" I teased and expected a derisive snort, outright denial, or at worst a stinging back hand. What I got was a scowl just before her turned away. I blinked. Several times in fact in an attempt to process this rather strange signal he was sending. "Holy Planet! You are jealous!" Oh that was toooooooooooooooooooo rich! It made some kind of bizarre sense. I think Sephiroth has some kind of twisted respect for me, but I dreamt of someone he considered a failure, unworthy of his time. More to the point, someone he considered to be beneath him in every way. Therefore, Cloud should be unworthy of my time as well.

His shoulders tightened beneath the heacy black coat, and still he gave me only silence. I reached down to dust the sand off my legs. Yeah it was a dream, but I had wanted to indulge. To make so real that I could feel each tiny grain of sand against my skin. So why not go all the way right? When I reached him again, I peeped up and around his shoulder. Trying to get an angle to see his face, his expression.

His jaw clenched tightly and I could see the muscles move and strain underneath skin that looked so smooth there should be a law against it. Do you know how many women would kill for skin that showed not even the faintest blemish? His green eyes remained stormy and sullen even underneath the Mako glow in them. So Sephiroth doesn't like to teased eh? Well to damned bad for him.

They're my dreams that he keeps invading...

My life that he's going to take in a matter of days...

So he could put up or get the hell out...

"Dont worry, Sephiroth, you've been in my dreams for over a week now... uninvited, but here you are." I frowned he refused to rise to the bait. Not even the flicker of an eyelash.

"He is beneath you, Cetra." Honest if a weeeeee bit arrogant. I laughed, unable to help myself.

"Don't you think that's for me to decide?" I paused before adding, "And you can call me by my name you know." I knew why he didn't, name gave meaning and definition. I would no longer be the last of the Cetra. I'd be a woman he was going to kill. A woman with a name, and dreams, and hopes. He scowled. Those perfect lips twisted into an expression that bordered on pure menace.

"That is not something open for debate. It is fact. He is weak, you are not." He stated it in the same tone someone might proclaim the sky blue and the grass green. To him Clouds...defects...were obvious and unchanging... oh yeah and not something anyone should overlook or forgive. I wondered if before he went mad and became bent on the destruction of the world, if he ever saw flaws himself. Was his perfection as a warrior and a soldier a driving need to hide his own inadequacies? Right, good job Aeris, rationalize the psycho. Really, they're all just abused children waiting for their Mommies to pet them on the head. No, I could mourn for the child Sephiroth had been, but I had a hard time mourning the man he'd become and the decisions he'd made.

Still right then I did not want to fight with him. After the last dream I'd realized the pointlessness of trying to change his mind about anything. Sephiroth was far too gone for my words. Or maybe he just believed in what he was doing with every fiber of his being. I didn't know...I couldn't know, and right then, I didn't much care.

So why didn't I just up or make him leave? Yeah he's powerful, but with Planet's help, I think I could have forced him out of my mind.

Ashamed as I am to admit it, I'm lonely. He is the only other person I have to talk to, and maybe the only person I'll have a chance to talk to until...well y'know. There is something singularly humbling in that realization. Last night, during that dream, I stayed because I needed a connection, to anyone. I missed Cloud and the others terribly, but I couldn't risk contacting Cloud again. I wouldn't risk him finding me in time to stop what had to be done. So I turned to my mortal enemy, Sephiroth, for companionship. Sad huh?

"So..." My voice broke the long silence, "You never did answer my question about who you thought I should be dreaming about." He looked at me with quizzical eyes and suprisingly no mockery.

"You are acting strangely, Cetra." I frowned and smacked his arm on impulse. Then promptly waiting for my impending doom. When neither death nor splitting headache occured, I deemed it safe to continue.

"Aeris, please, and I'm not the one getting bent out of shape about who's in your dreams am I?" I felt one brow lift up over my eye, and both hands position themselves firmly on my scantily clad hips. He smirked. No, I think he might have smiled come to think of it.

"Fair enough...Aeris." Now it was my turn to smile. "He is still beneath you though." I snorted, rolling my eyes.

"Stubborn aren't you? Okay how about..."I pretended to think hard. "Cid?" He blinked twice, unsure of what to say. Until he realized I was joking.

"Too crass."

"Mmmmm...Reeve?"

"Too old."

"Barret?"

"Too crass and too old." I think he was trying not to laugh if the quick jerks of his lips were any indication. I decided that my goal for the night would be to make Sephiroth laugh. My finger thumped a rapid beat on my chin, and I schooled my features into mock seriousness.

"Rufus? Nah, the whole wanna-be-giant-corporate-overlord thing just doesn't appeal to me." I watched him with all due care, and noticed the repeating slight lip twitch.

"Ummm Heigigger is sooooooo out of the question."

"The laugh alone would drive any woman away." He murmured with a grin threatening to form. Not one of his usual -HAHA weak mortal, I shall sever your head and delighted in your inhuman cries for mercy.- Or however it is mad General's show off their maniacle side.

"Yep, I've to agree with you there!. How about Rude?"

"That has to be a joke." He deadpanned and actually turned to look at me for a second or two.

"Oooo I know...Rena!" Reno was a Turk, true, but he had always looked out for me. Not to mention the man wasn't hard on the eyes. A couple of times I had caught myself just dying to run my hands through that messy hair of his.

"Ah yes, hunter, turned lover. THat's a realistic goal."

"Sephiroth, we're having a hypothetical conversation about my non-existant love life in my dream no less." Three days before you're going to kill me, but I left that part unsaid. No need to spoil the mood right? "All because you don't like, Cloud. I think we're beyond the boundaries of realism." He chuckled. Well that didn't really count as laugh, but I thought it might be the best I was going to get from him.

"Well is not Reno," I shrugged, feighning hurt. "I'm out of men to meet your approval." I looked at him sideways with such a sudden urge of mischieviousness I wondered if it was really me. "Unless..."

"What?" He quirked a brow.

"hmmmm... nah... nevermind." He frowned. The kind of frown you really didn't want aimed at you and shot by him. "Okay, okay!" I walked around him until I stood right smack in front of him. If this weren't a dream, I never would have dared getting this close to him. He waited with a mixture of curiosity and confusion. My eyes narroed and I peered up at him. "Hmmmm. Do you want the job?"

I still can't believe I said that to him. It was in jest and I tried to make sure that he knew it, but still maybe he was right. Maybe I was acting weird. Maybe there was no maybe to it?

He leaned fown. His face hovered just over mine. I saw each strand of his white forelocks slip from behind his ears and ball a bit towards me until the silvery threads formed two curtains around his face, and a bit around me. 'He's angry.' I thought. This time I had overstepped my bouns and under that cold, emotionless gaze, I tried not to flinch. It felt like my insides were turning to jelly. I tried not to gulp or shift, or otherwise betray the sudden nerves I felt all too much.

"And just what would you do if I said yes?" I laughed and it sounded strained to my ears. Forced and jittery. Why wouldn't he pull back? The urge to step away almost won.

"Well, I mean, you're already here so it's a moot point right?" Again that damn nervous laughter. Why couldn't I be a lil stronger in front of him?

"Don't be obtuse, Aeris." Fine silk spun his words, but this time he lacked the sharp edge beneath the softness of his tone. His eyes grew heavy lidded and something else pulsed behind the Mako glow. Something, an emotion, the same emotion shown by Cloud on the gondola ride. He couldn't be serious could he?

When I didn't, or rather couldn't answer, his head tilted to the side. I watched a slow, elusive smile curve his lips. If that dream had been real, I would have fallen down with that smile. Part of my wondered how many women had falled before it's hushed call. It was so gentle, and inviting. I really couldn't have called it warm, but it spoke of hidden warmth. It...well it made me want to try and find out. Planet, I really must be loosing my mind.

A wreck, that's what my thoughts. A severty four car pile up of thoughts and emotions on the Aeris NervePath Express.

"Ah." I cleared my throat. "I, um, don't think that's really... ummm anyway." I started to back away only to feel his hand press against the small of back. That simple touch reminded me quiet well that I only wore the bathing suit...a skimpy bathing suit. His fingers were cool and calloused. The tips rough, but not unpleasantly so against my skin. By my Ancestors, the man must have lightening in his viens, errrr thoughts rather, 'cause I swear I felt a jolt of electricity rush through my spine. A yelp died in my throat.

It wasn't real afterall.

But it was real enough.

The touch was not hard. I could have escaped if I chose, but the face that he did not force the issue is why I didn't command my feet to move.

"Tsk, Tsk. You opened the box Aeris, now close it." You know the old expression 'playing with fire'? Well I think that moment was the epitome of that very phrase. He was daring me to press this strange little game. Neither retreating nor advancing, Sephiroth waited with his heavy eyed patience. He knew that he had me. I'd have to back away, and put an end to this. Zach, my first boyfriend wouldn't have know this kind of subtlety if it jumped up and bit him the bum.

Don't get me wrong. He was never rude or crass, but whatever he'd been planning to do if he was standing in Sephiroth's place would have been done by now. Cloud? Well Cloud is continuously baffled by females. Despite the fact he'd kissed me, he wouldn't have ever willingly instigated something like this. It really was pure luck that he'd kissed me at all.

But Sephiroth showed none of Zach's brashness, nor Cloud's hesitance. I realised that was just him. Sephiroth is the Master of himself in every aspect. He demanded perfection and persued it with a single minded determination. Never looking back, much less succumbing to doubt, but at the same time he didn't rush in headlong. He knew when to press, when to wait. And how to make a certain Cetra squirm under the sudden intimacy of a single moment. Something occured to me. An unbidded thought that should have probably remained silent.

I wish I had know him sane.

A master work sword made flesh.

A thought flittered across my mind, reminding what had started all of this to begin with. My eyes narrowed and I positioned both hands on my hips.

"You're teasing me aren't you?" He held that relentless gaze for a long time. So much so that I began to doubt my assertion. Maybe he wasn't teasing me, but then, what did that mean? About the time that I started to really get nervous...again. He grinned and a soft chuckle worked its way out of his throat.

"Only replying in kind." He pulled back with an amused look, the spell around us broken.

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A/N: I had toyed with the idea of having them kiss just to offset the Cloud kiss, but in the end, I don't think it's something either one of them would have done in this iteration of the characters. Anyway... I hope everyone enjoys!.

-TL


	12. Cry for Me

_**The Last Temptation**_

_**Twilight Lament **_

_**Oct. 2004**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

_**Chapter 12: **_

_**Cry for Me.**_

The pillow flew one way, blankets another. Darkness held sway in the small, canvas tent. I groped around for a candle, or my flashlight just in time to realize that it wasn't night obscuring my vision, but rather my hair. Sluggish hands pushed the strands, coughing as a few worked their way down my throat. Sometimes I thought that I would sell my soul for 'perfect' hair. You know the kind of hair that never gets in your face unless you mean it to do so. Hair that always falls in just the right place and never gets tangled. Yeah perfect hair would be nice, but here's to dreaming right?

Slowly and a bit painfully my eyes focused on a blurry shape that my sleep crusted eyes just didn't want to make out. My hand ran across my eyes, feel the scrape of those tiny sleep particles against my skin. I felt drunk, like I'd either had too much or not enough sleep and my brain decided to remain in dreamland while the rest of my body attempted to function without it. Unfortunately my body wasn't doing so well and it took a nudge to my side to finally make my recalcitrant eyes focus properly. Vaserian had poked his head through the tent flaps and was poking me gently with his beak. Even now I still think that bird was grinning at my obvious disarray.

"WARK!" Well if I wasn't awake before, I certainly was once he belted out that cry. And again with the "Wark!" Though softer the third time (the first having been the one that drove me out of a sound sleep).

Sound sleep? Yeah I guess it was. Since I found Cloud, or rather he ran into me on the street, I haven't slept well at all. I know what it meant when he bought a flower from me that night after the first Mako reactor bombing. The knowledge came to me when his hand just brushed mine. I had thought he was cute then too if a bit too serious looking. All that faded away though the moment he grasped the flower stem. Time rewound and sped up at the same time. A surge of energy hit me coupled with jumbled words that I didn't think I'd ever be able to make out. The cacophony in my head deafened all other thought, but before my head could explode, the din calmed.

-Go with him.-

-Planet? Him? But why? I don't understand...-

-Time near... He will lead, protect. Go.-

-Now?-

-No, but soon. You will know.-

And sure enough, the next night Cloud fell through the roof of my church. Right onto my favorite flower bed. I doubt he's ever realized just how long it takes to create orchid hybrids. My poor, poor flowers. But anyway, since then I've slept the sleep of the exhausted and nervous. Soundly though had abandoned me forever, or so I thought. So since that night, I'd taken to communing heavily with Planet. It wasn't particularly restful, but it did restore my energy. Only after I'd spent time with Planet did I bother to sleep at all. Right now, I don't know what to think about the fact that my best night's sleep in months came when Sephiroth invaded my dreams again. I keep telling myself that it's just stress, and who knows maybe it is.

Fleh - Heavy thinking. Anyway, so Vaserian was waiting for me to get up this morning. I guess he'd gotten bored, or decided the island we were on just wasn't all that interesting.

"Im up! I'm up!" I cried with a partial laugh. Mollified, at least the moment, he pulled his out and left me in privacy. Outside I heard him stamping around, impatient for breakfast I assumed.

The robe I pulled on was soft and warm. The faint scent of cedar chips rose from the cotton-linen blend. Within a second, I found myself surrounded in a comfortable, sweet smelling warmth. It had been a gift from Henry. Without out asking, or even hinting at his intent, the old man had replaced most of my clothing and provided a few creature comforts like this robe. Whatever good mood the gift might have put me in vanished when I stepped outside. Gah! It was still so early. The sky was not anywhere near light enough for me to cast another ice road and wouldn't be for a couple of hours.

"Oooo you couldn't wait could you?!" My head swiveled to the sheepish chocobo. His head was down and he rocked back and forth on his feet like a child waiting to be scolded for getting into his Mother's cookies before they'd cooled. Soft chirps and whistles danced over to me in an apology. At least I think that's what it was. Needless to say my anger vanished almost as quickly as it had come. How could I stay mad at a fluffy bird chittering softly at me?

My fingers slid into the silky black feathers. From a distance those same feathers looked as sharp as if he were nothing more than a very good statue carved from solid obsidian. Each feather tapered off into a perfect point and most bore the same uniform shape. He is a remarkable example of his kind: Strong and fast with a keen amount of intelligence for a bonus. I knew then and I know now that I was very lucky to find him. Well I guess I should say that I was lucky he came to me.

His head butted against mine. Each tiny tine that springs along the feather's shaft brushed against my skin. Soft really did pale in comparison. I buried my face against his shoulder and the feeling of being held intensified when he curved his head around me. Comfortable and comforted. Maybe I didn't call Vaserian at all, maybe planet sent him to me. After all I'd never met a chocobo quite so smart as this one.

My faithful deliverer.

I was right though, by midday we reached the Northern Continent. My hands want to shake right now, and I think writing this is the only thing keeping me from pure panic. But what can you…… oh crap.

So I'm on a journey to save Planet. With my faithful steed, I've climbed mountains, fought monsters, saved a young child from Mako poisoning, out ran Shinra, and have had weird conversations with the man who will kill me. We make it to the plains on Northern Continent where my destiny, fate, whatever you want to call it awaits, and what slows us down? What makes us run for cover and hide because there is no way we can face it down?

Storms. Yep, rain lightening, thunder, howling winds….the whole frickin' deal.

Vicious, hard rain.

Lightening that crashed right into the ground in front of us.

Thunder so loud that it shook the ground.

Oh, and did I mention the tornados? You see the plural is important especially when you're on land as flat as the back of your hand. They don't call it the plains for nothing. The storm just rolled up out of nowhere, turning a brilliant, bright sky to black. I kept myself as deeply in touch with Planet as I could and still stay on Vaserian's back while he raced to outrun the deluge. Communing with Planet was the only way I could help predict where the tornados would fall and guide Vaserian accordingly. Honestly, I thought it would end out on the plains. Great ending to the story huh?

We found a cave on the cliff face near the ocean to hole up in for now. So far the storm has raged outside for well over an hour with no signs of stopping. I asked Planet about it and my only reply was.

-Cannot know everything Aeris child- Then nothing else. Somehow this is just too funn……………

-"Why do you not use magic?"- He asked. His voice came out nowhere and filled up the shadowed cave. I almost screamed until I realized it was just in my head. He wasn't nearby. He wasn't standing right next to me.

"I don't like mucking with patterns. Ya just tend to make things worse." I had known for awhile that Sephiroth was somehow keeping tabs on me, but that didn't make it any less nerve racking. "And it would take several different spells, and probably a ritual or two."

-"You managed that rather well when you crossed the ocean….."- He paused and I could feel his smirk in my thoughts. -"Nice trick."- He did sound impressed, and that surprised me.

"It wasn't hard, or at least not as hard as I thought it would be." I heard his chuckle, deep and rich tickling across my mind.

-"You accomplish a magical feat that, among almost everyone is thought to be impossible and you say it's nothing?"-

"It was just a matter of concentration. Not like I reinvented magic use." I know he smirked again and I damned the sudden rush of blood to my cheeks. Then I remembered he couldn't see me, still I didn't know if he could feel my emotions the way I could sometimes feel his.

-"Why will you not admit that you are more powerful than you realized?"- Silence, but from me this time. Powerful? I didn't feel powerful. I wanted to laugh, but it would have been a bitter and ragged sound had I let it out.

So what if I found a way to cast two spells at once? I still didn't manage to stop Cloud from handing over the black materia to Sephiroth without trying to hurt him. I couldn't do anything about Sephiroth right now but talk to him and wait for my own death. I couldn't have done anything to stop all of this. No, I didn't feel very powerful at all. What good is being able to cast two spells at once when you can't even manage to …. No nevermind.

Yeah I know, whining again. Anyway –

I think he knew something was wrong, though I doubted he had any idea of just what it was. I wondered what he would do if he knew that killing me was part of the plan, just not necessarily his plan. Would he stop? Or just kill me sooner? To be honest, I wasn't even tempted to tell him and hope it was the first. I didn't want to die, but I wanted Planet and everything on it to live even more.

"So," He began after a long and uneasy pause. "Are you going to share the secret of your success?"

"If you tell me how you're able to talk to me and interrupt my sleep all that time, sure."

"Hmmph, shrewd little bargainer aren't you?" I smirked with another one of those little rare and small triumphs.

"Don't change the subject." I prodded him with a strange feeling of ease or bizarre kinship. That now after all this time and this long journey, he would be my only human companionship.

"Bah, fine. It's simple really. After all the time I spent in the Lifestream, I can use it to find anything alive. The stronger the Lifeforce or the more familiar, the easier it is for me to locate them." He was hiding something. It was the way he spoke. The way he made the answer seem like the whole truth, even though he hadn't really answered my question.

"All right, that explains how you can find me, but not how you can communicate with me." Sephiroth didn't say anything for a long time. I wondered if he'd left, if I'd somehow offended him.

"I don't know how. I only know that I can." It disturbed him, the not knowing. Granted, I can't say that it made me all that comfortable either. Like him, I could use the Lifestream and find people, but the only reason that I had been able to contact cloud is because his mind was so open from Mako treatments. My mind wasn't open. In fact my connection with Planet closed off my mind even more to anyone not Cetra or Planet, yet somehow he was able to speak to me, slip into my dreams.

I don't know if it, whatever it is, works both way though. Twice I had tried to seek Sephiroth out through mental contact, and twice Jenova had stopped me.

"It bothers you," A statement, not a question.

"Questions without answers always bother me," Right, of course they did, how stupid of me.

"Anyway. I guess it's my turn right?" His wordless ascent tickled at the edge of my thoughts. "It really was simple. I just, well, divided my concentration between the two spells. I doubt it would have worked with less familiar spells though."

"Dear gods woman, you make it sound like you were baking bread and talking on the PHS at the same time." He sounded amusingly frustrated, or maybe frustratingly amused. If frustratingly was actually a word anyway. "I cannot decide if you are one of the most humble people that I have known or not."

"Well let me know when you figure it out."

"Or perhaps the most flippant…and annoying." He was digging at me. I knew this because his tone lacked the depth of condescension he would have had if he were serious. It dawned on me that I had experienced more significant conversation with Sephiroth than with anyone else in my life besides Planet. The realization hurt in a way I don't understand even now.

"Why? Why won't you stop this?" The pleading tone in my voice deepened my inherent sense of weakness. He didn't say anything for a long time, and I couldn't speak.

"Go to sleep, Aeris."

"What? Why?"

"Just go to sleep." I wasn't in an accommodating mood. So I crossed my arms and stared at the wall with the same look I would have given him if he had been there.

"Not until you tell me why."

"Damnit all woman, go to sleep!" I jumped up and screamed into the echoing cave.

"I am not one of your clones, General, and I am sure as hell not one of your troops that you can order around when it suits you. I will go to sleep when I want to and not because you told me to!" I sounded like a petulant child. That is never good footing to be on in any argument.

"Aeris," His tone held a hefty amount of anger, but he paused. "Aeris, please." It's the please that got me to quiet down. He never said please. In fact common politeness seemed alien to him. The entire time I thought it over, he didn't say a word. It could be a trap, it could be anything, but in the end I curled up against Vaserian's side and closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes blackness, broken only by a diffuse gray light greeted me. I was not afraid of the darkness. In fact it was warm and peaceful. The light warped and pushed away from him and his steps echoed over and over again even though I couldn't see any ground or walls for the sound to generate from or bounce off. My heart pounded because I knew that somehow in someway this visit would be different from the rest.

"Aeris," His deep voice curled in the air and images danced in the strange light. Me facing off against the creatures in the forest and a dozen other snippets of my life: moments that he had seen. Then I understood that these were Sephiroth's memories of me and simply speaking my name in this place, whatever it was, had the power to show those memories.

He stopped in front of me and stood so still that I wondered if he was really there at all. When I could bear the silence no longer, I reached out and poked at his arm. My reward was a quirk of a grin.

"Well?" I frowned when he still didn't speak, or move. It was… unnerving. "You asked me here, what do you want?" Then his grin faded and he turned to the left, no longer facing me.

"Turn around, Aeris. Go back, go home."

"That's it? That's why you asked me here? To order me to leave? Guh, well you're right about one thing, I am leaving this place." I closed my eyes and reached out to Planet, with its help, I knew I could go back to my own dreams and maybe stay there for a change. His grip on my arm stopped me.

"No Aeris, I mean go home. Go back to your Mother, your friends, and live for whatever time remains." I looked at him and his expression was as unreadable as it always was.

"You can't stop me, Sephiroth. I won't stand by and let you kill the world." I lifted my chin and hoped and prayed that I looked sure and certain.

"I can stop you, Aeris and I will. It is you who fail to realize that I will not be stopped by anyone. Nothing will keep me from my destiny, nothing." His words held an unkind warning that I did not miss. Without the words, Sephiroth was informing me that he would kill me.

"Then why bother saying anything?" I tried to jerk my arm from him, but he refused to let go. The more I tugged the tighter he held onto me, but I refused to show pain. "If you're so sure you can beat me, then why are you trying so hard to turn me back?"

He jerked me close and if it had been real, I would have had bruises where is hand held my arm. His eyes blazed into mine and the set of jaw displayed his determination. My eyes held his in this strange gray world where every word sparked another memory. Memories that fueled me, reminded me of everything that would be lost if I failed.

"Just because I do not want my hand to be the one that takes your life doesn't mean I will not."

"If you don't want to kill me then why do you stop? No one is forcing you to do this." I spat the words at him, and restrained myself from punching him. He looked away for a long time.

When he turned back around that mad glint gleamed bright in his eyes. His lips twisted into that familiar sadistic smile. This time when my heart lurched, it was from pure fear. My legs started to shake and I pushed desperately against his chest and renewed my attempts to break free of his grasp. Undaunted by anything I did, Sepiroth grabbed my chin and forced me to look at him.

"So much fight in so much frailty. It is a shame that you continue to fight Mother and I." He let out a dramatic sigh. "But no matter, when the time comes, I will hold you close to me, and you will witness what it is like for a god to be born."

Panic, terror, and I wondered if he meant to kill me then. A loud wind howled through the nebulous world, so strong that it blew Sephiroth and I apart. I didn't wait to see where he landed. I called out for Planet and with its strength, I flew back to my own dreams and hoped I had locked the proverbial door tightly enough behind me.

* * *

Tragedy strikes. After several life changing events, including a move. I sat down to start writing again. Only I couldn't find the chapters of Temptation that I had written. Every chapter, every outline is gone. So I'm having to rewrite it over which is taking a very long time. Hope everyone enjoys the latest entry and thank you for the awesome reviews.

-TL


	13. A Second Chance

_**The Last Temptation**_

_**Twilight Lament **_

_**Oct. 2004**_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Final Fantasy VII nor any of its characters._

_**Chapter 13: A Second Chance**_

It's rained almost all day. Dark clouds crackle lightening overhead and neither Vasarian nor I can find much to be cheery about today. Of course a lot of my problem is from my dream of Sephiroth last night. Why can't I find a way to keep him out of my mind? Truth is that I am almost afraid of the answer, no matter what it is, because either I am not strong enough to keep him out, which calls into question my ability to stop him at all, or ….. Or I don't want him gone. Honestly, I'm not sure which is worse, or right.

Today we trekked across the plains to Bone Village, an excavation outpost on the edge of the Sleeping Forest. Here workers wile the day away digging holes, or blasting them when needed, in the search of artifacts from the Ancients. They search for the most important one of all: The Lunar Harp. It is a harp made of silver ash and golden strings that play on their own when the harp is close to the Sleeping Forest. Its music allows non-Cetra to stay awake while walking the winding paths of the Forest. Those who do not have the harp or Cetra blood cannot keep their eyes open more than one or two steps into the trees. Pretty neat defense huh?

I don't know if I want humans to find the harp really. If they do, they will make it to the Ancient City, a place that has not been disturbed for thousands of years. I think it deserves that silence y'know? The resting place of the last of the Cetra. Wow, that is going to be very literal soon isn't it? No, no, not gonna think about that now.

Anyway, we arrived at Bone Villiage just a little after noon. All of the archeologists were welcoming if a little surprised to see a stranger and her chocobo wandering up the sight in the middle of a miserable downpour. After a cup of hot tea, and an hour or so of listening to the head digger talk about the Harp and how they were using a new triangulation technique to find it, I stashed myself in an out of the way hut, and contemplated on just when to enter the Forest. I can't do it when everyone is awake. They'd probably try to follow me and I don't have time to push a bunch of heavy sleepers out of the Forest.

Well there I was debating on just how to get into the Forest without being seen when a loud explosion rocked the ground and shook the hut I was occupying. I raced out to see what had happened, and maybe more importantly, what I could do. One of the worker's had set a fuse too short and in his panic, he'd thrown the package of dynamite. One of the lower levels now has a deep crater in it. Even though people were running around everywhere, I couldn't see that anyone was hurt, and Planet seemed to concur. So, I took Vaserian's reins in one hand, and my pack in the other, we slipped off into the woods when no one was looking our way.

You would think the Sleeping Forest would be quiet and soft. Let me tell you that it is anything but. Birds chirp overhead and squirrels run and race all over the ground. The flora is overgrown and the fauna do not have fear the encroachment of man. Of course they still have to contend with other carnivores, but here is a place untouched by human machines and expansion.

Now don't get me wrong here. I know and understand the need for humans to move and grow settlements; it's just a part of life. Things like Mako energy I don't agree with at all, but as long the land is tended to as well as possible, I think any evolution of life is wondrous in its own right. That said though, there is something special in this ageless forest. Maybe because my ancestors were the last too see it, maybe because it is so hidden from the rest of the world. I don't know the reason, I just know that here the world feels different here, like I've been let in on a great secret.

It would take at least a day to get through to the heart of the forest where the city is, and with the sun already starting to set, I'm going to have to look for a place to camp. The trees and shrubs are so dense here than I gave up on riding Vasarian at all for now. He seems to be enjoying the break even though I keep telling him that I'm not that heavy. Bah. Cheeky Bird.

Even if it rained, I think the canopy of trees is dense enough to keep out the rain. So it looks like its open air sleeping for me tonight! Part of me, the pessimistic part, keeps telling me I shouldn't feel this excited about spending the night here, knowing what means, and how close I am. I just can't think about that right now you know? I have to keep moving forward and I would rather enjoy a little happiness than get depressed about what's coming I guess. One more night after this and I will begin the ritual.

No, it's better to not think about it all right now. Besides, I need some rest. Hiking through this place is exhausting.

When I woke up this morning, I realized I hadn't dreamed about him. It shouldn't surprise me. Here the power of the Planet, my ancestors, and myself are at their strongest. It wouldn't be as easy for him to invade my dreams. Yet I noticed scribbled at the bottom of my entry from last night these simple words:

"_When the time comes, choose me, little Cetra."_

I don't know what I feel when I read those words, or if I even really feel anything at all. Maybe everything that can be said and should be said between he and I has already been spoken. Maybe now all that is left is to finish this tragedy the best way that it can be ended.

I can tell you this much though, the moment I stepped through the last line of trees and saw the city my ancestors had created all thoughts of the past and present and future fled my mind. It is beautiful, artful, and just perfect in my eyes. The tall spires of the building reach up past the trees in the designs of large shells. The walls glitter and gleam in the sunlight, and the pathways wind with the hilly landscape through and around the city. Tears came to my eyes to see and smell the place where my people built their last great work: The Capital City of the Ancients.

One cannot help but wonder what it was like at its peak. With its buildings and sidewalks filled with people, and the magic of each person dancing in the air. It must have been loud and busy like most cities, but now it lays quiet and serene: a true monument and final resting place for the legacy of the Cetra. I try not to think too much about the final resting place part of it though. Even Vaserian seems to be in awe of the place.

He keeps pace next to me as I catalogue each detail. Who knows? Maybe someone will find my little diary one day and I want them to know everything I felt about this place. I want them to read every word that my ancestors whispered and to know how deeply loved not only this city was, but also the deep care the Cetra had for the humans of this world.

I don't know how many hours passed in the shaded city. I don't know how many different paths I took or how many buildings I wandered through today. Right now I'm in a small house just a few blocks away from the temple. I will be going there soon to begin the ritual, but something about this house called to me and I just had to see it.

There isn't anything special about it. This house is no different from any other house in the city. Small and cozy with enough room for four or five people to live without tripping over each other, it is actually one of the small houses in the city. Still though, I like it here. I think if I were to build a house, it would look like this one, or very nearly.

Most of the buildings are untouched and it is strange to find dressers full of clothes and kitchen cupboards with bottles and bags of preserved food in them. It is almost like my ancestors just up and walked away one day, leaving everything of their life behind. Maybe after the Great Awakening the city held too many painful memories and they just couldn't stand to be here anymore. Maybe they thought it was best to lock up the city and place a spell on the woods so that it would remain a shrine to the last battles fought in the Cetra-Human Wars.

I do know that my ancestors do not like to speak about it, so I don't ask.

I led Vaserian to the edge of town and took his saddle off, but the silly chocobo wouldn't leave my side. He refused to run off into the woods and when I turned back to go to the Temple, he insisted on coming with me. I had to wait until night fall to open the stairs leading down below. It was hard for him to follow me down the tiny, slick stairs that were crafted mostly of magic, so he remained above, crooning softly and worried when the stairs disappeared and the doorway sealed itself again.

I'm sitting in the center of the altar right now. It's time to start the ritual, and already I can hear my ancestors singing the ancient words in my head. I'm trying to force the words out of my mouth, but they just won't come. This is it, the moment it really begins and I'm afraid to take this first step. Beneath me and all around me, I can feel the power of Planet in this place and it's waiting for me to start, but it hasn't said anything at all. Maybe now it's my choice and no one else's. Fate has brought me to this point, but now it's all up to me.

No more guiding voices or prophetic dreams. Now all that is left is me, the ritual, and soon…him. I cannot falter now, I cannot stop. I know what it means if I do.

Aeris closed her journal since she found herself unable to write anything else, even goodbye. Why prolong the agony? That was the question in her mind. It was time to begin and putting off the ritual any longer would only serve to weaken her resolve. She didn't want that to happen, and certainly she didn't want to dwell on the pain of the situation any longer. The ritual required her full attention and that is what it would get.

She placed her staff with gentle hands in front of her. The weight of the White materia rested at the base of hair bow. She did not need to pull it free and hold it in her hands. The ambient magic in the air would serve to activate the materia once she summoned the energy required for the spell.

Another deep breathe taken and she opened her mind to Planet and her ancestors, allowing their words and comfort to soother her heart. Aeris clasped her hands in front of her and closed her eyes. She wanted to keep them open and see the temple all around her and the magic she would soon call, but it the ritual required too much concentration to risk a distraction.

I, Aeris, daughter of Cetra, caretaker of the Planet call upon the winds.

I, Aeris, daughter of Ifalna, call upon the Planet.

With the blood in my veins and the songs in my heart, I call to the

Universe, I call to time.

Please answer my call and lend thy power to mine.

Ghosts of her ancestors filled the room and all around her Aeris heard the hum and sigh of the Planet. Power raced along her skin in smooth, electric tingles that left her breathless. Her body felt lighter and less real. The room danced with light and energy which swirled in patterns of blues and greens and whites. In her minds eye, Aeris could see it, but she wished she dared crack an eye and really see it.

In front of her, the energy resounded through the material in her staff. The swirls of energy lifted the metal staff from the ground until it floated just at chest level in front of her kneeling position. Through the different colored stones the light energy was further changed and refracted and they gave off strange patterns against the walls and columns of the room.

It was a beautiful and serene picture with Aeris resting at the heart of it all. Her voice rang out in the silent light show. She chanted in the language of her people. The dulcet tones and liquid syllables filled the air.

In old times eight other voices would have joined hers. Each one chanting in a different tone and a different pace. These were not old times though. The times of Aeris saw only one descendent of the Cetra remaining and left only one voice to call upon the power of Holy. Once upon a time Holy had a different name and a religion behind its power, but the old ways had been lost. Even though Aeris could hear her ancestors, they could not tell her everything. They could not tell her of the Path and Name Holy once had. Soon their voices would be entirely silent upon the Planet and the a true hush would fall over the ancient city. It was the end of an era. Everything in the City seemed to recognize that fact. No birds chirped. No insects buzzed. Even the wind fell silent in the wake of the unfolding ritual and the impending crescendo of so many threads of Fate. It wasn't the end note, but those moments marked the beginning of the end.

Aeris knew she could not summon the full power of Holy. Only nine full Cetra pooling their magical talents could hope to accomplish such a feat. She just hoped, as her kindred and Planet hoped, that one halfing would have the strength to accomplish summoning enough of Holy to prove worthwhile.

Her voice grew tired and the words come sluggish across her mind after hours of singing out the phrases. Aeris' brow knitted fiercely and she struggled to maintain the magic and rhythm necessary to draw out the ancient power from the heart of the universe. That is where Holy is born. Deep inside the heart of creation exists the purest power known. It is not good. It is not evil. It abides by the will of the summoner and shapes itself to the wishes of the same.

Holy is its name now, but long ago, it had been called The Soul of the First Fire.

The tingle raced across her skin and knew that it had answered her call. After all of the hours of chanting to show the Power the way to her, it had found her. For a moment she thrilled in the glow of victory, and of her doubts about her own power slipped away from her. It was here, filling her up and now all that remained was for Aeris to shape it to her will.

It swept her soul up in a torrent of pure power and glory. Aeris thought it might burn her alive and she would only be able to weep for the beauty of it all. It whispered a thousand secrets of the universe into her mind and showed her the hidden meaning in magic and life. Her breathe came shorter and harder and her mind strained under the incredible knowledge flowing through it. In that moment, she could do anything, save the world or destroy it, save herself or follow her fate.

Just a few more words, one way or the other, would decide everything. The secret Aeris learned in that moment is that the ritual for Holy and the ritual for Meteor vary by just a couple of sentences.

Sound distracted her, not enough to make her let go of the power she'd called, but enough to bring her back down from the euphoric wave upon which she rode. When she opened her eyes, her staff still floated in front of her. The sight of Cloud, Tifa, and Vincent greeted her eyes. All three of them moved through the various stages of worry, elation, and then fear.

She didn't understand at first. What could they possibly have to fear in this place? Here was peace and power to finally put an end to it all. She could use Holy to stop Sephiroth without having to risk her own life. Then she noticed the change in Cloud. The way his eyes glazed over and his hands moved in jerky motions towards his sword. The words locked up in her throat as each step towards her cost him a piece of his soul. Vincent tackled Cloud to the ground, raging for him to snap out of it. Then Tifa gasped, muttering something rapidly that Aeris couldn't quite catch with the hum of power ringing in her ears.

Sephiroth, the name caught her attention and finally she heard the sounds of shattering glass above her. He was here, and ready to kill her. In front of Aeris, her staff remained and she watched in horror as her companions moved too slowly towards her only to stop all together. A spell had been cast, the Stop spell. It locked all three of them into a temporary stasis. Unable to move, or see, or breathe, they were trapped in a moment in time.

Anger, so much anger welled up in Aeris' heart. No, she would not die, not like this. This was not how her story would end. This was not how she would die. She held the power now and she would show them all that the last of the Cetra would not die so damn easily.

And so Aeris reached out, and her slender hands grabbed onto staff while Cloud's voice whispered in the back of her mind.

"_See your enemy's attack in head. Anticipate it."_

Aeris rolled to the side just as the wicked point of Masamune pierced the air and the spot on the altar she had occupied.

"_See your reaction. Know that it will hit, and then strike!"_

The force Sephiroth had used was meant to pierce a body and when no body was present when the strike landed, the tip of Masamune had imbedded in the marble floor. It was just a second or two, no more time than that small span. It was enough though.

Fueled by the power at her beck and call, Aeris spun around on her knees. For once in her life her technique was perfect and the head of the staff whirled around and up as she lunged towards him. The metallic clink when it impacted his skull was strangely satisfying. Time crawled by and Aeris watched Sephiroth, the great General, crumble to the ground.

Her heart raced a million beats or more and the energy around her fluctuated with her wild emotions. She had done it. She had felled Sephiroth. The battle had come and she had lived through it.

Aeris didn't know whether to laugh or cry, or both, and when Jenova came crashing through the hole above just as Cloud and the others were freed from the stop spell, the choice was taken from her. Aeris threw herself over Sephiroth because she knew that was who Jenova was after. Her son, her acolyte, and the Calamity wanted him back.

"Kill it Cloud!" Aeris screamed out. "It's just one part of her and she isn't as powerful here!"

Cloud immediately snapped from his trance, and rounded on the form of Jenova. It may have only been part of the alien in question, but it was a massive none-the-less. Cloud rolled out of the way of its smashing tentacle. Bits of debris sprayed upward with the creatures impact. Aeris covered Sephrioth with her body and hastily erected Barrier.

Tifa launched into action. Her quick feet maneuvered over Jenova's form - using the protruding body parts to help her climb. The lithe woman leapt straight at Jenova's head (or what passed for the head) and delivered a series of punishing blows to the alien. The creature howled in fury but, before Tifa could react, unleashed a beam of bright blue light from its center. The light impacted Tifa immediately, hurtling her to the ground. Quick and clever Vincent skid underneath Tifa's falling form and caught her.

"Are you all right?" He rumbled in that rough voice of his. Tifa nodded and wobbled to her feet. Aeris wanted to go to them, but more so she knew that was exactly what Jenova wanted. As long as she kept up the Barrier, Aeris could keep Sephiroth out of the creature's grasp. _Where was everyone else? _Aeris wondered frantically.

Cloud slashed at Jenova again. Though this time he followed up his slash with a quickly cast Quake spell on the ground beneath Jenova. The slippery creature shifted on the uncertain footing and howled with pain. Vincent did not waste any time transforming into the Death Gigas. His massive form letting out a soul quivering roar before charging shoulder first into the monster. His impact knocked Jenova over and the creatures flailing tentacles destroyed part of the ceiling in the chapel. Great chucks of rock rained down upon the group. Tifa slid easily out of the way, but Cloud hopped along the falling pieces to gain height over the creature. A light encased Cloud as he dove down towards Jenova. Tifa and Vincent kept the creatures tentacles occupied for him. Cloud slashed down and then up, cutting the mass of flesh in two.

Jenova emitted an ear splitting scream. The sound forced everyone to their knees and Aeris groaned over Sephiroth's still form. It was about the time the sound started to fade away that the rest of their friends arrived. All of them flinched at the smell from Jenova's quickly rotting corpse. Aeris had to agree that the smell was rather atrocious. Aeris lowered her Barrier and took in a deep, shuddering breath. She was alive! All this time spent planning for her death and she was alive! Aeris laughed and laughed, spinning around on the tiny gazebo with such a sense of jubilation. The others turned, looking at her as if she'd suddenly grown the Galian Beast's horns. It was Cloud's harsh orders to get some rope that brought Aeris back to her senses. When the others converged on the tiny stairs leading to her and Sephiroth's spot, Aeris stood in front of them - her staff held lightly in one hand.

"Get out of the way, Aeris." Cloud spoke in a hoarse tone.

"No." She said to the amazement of everyone; except Vincent. Aeris noted in the far corner of her mind that her response failed to draw any reaction from the former Turk at all.

"Aeris..." Cloud said warily, tilting his head to one side. It occurred to Aeris that Sephiroth had already told Cloud that Aeris wasn't going to live and it didn't matter if he, Sephiroth, or Cloud was the one to kill her. Cloud knew something profound had just happened even if he didn't know or understand the full implications of his suspicions.

"No, Cloud." She said gently. "I will let you secure him, but then we _all_ need to talk. There is so much I need to tell you and so much that I need to do. But we don't have a lot of time. So please Cloud, for me. Don't fight me on this, not right now." She looked at him with tears in her brilliant and inhuman green eyes. She saw it in his reflection. Cloud finally believed in the Ancients, finally truly and deeply believed.

"Let's be clear," Cloud began with acid in his tone as he looked past Aeris to Sephiroth's prone form, "this is for you _not_ for him." He looked back at the flower girl with his heart in his eyes. Aeris realized that even though she was alive, her path and Clouds might still diverge in ways she wasn't prepared to examine. It hurt and saddened her elated heart. Yet... she glanced over her shoulder at Sephiroth who seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully despite the chaos around him and the number of people standing there that wanted him dead. The sight of him solidified her resolved. She looked back at the others and nodded once.

"Right, let's get started." Immediately she went back to Sephiroth's side and cast a strong Sleep spell over him. It forced him into even deeper slumber and hopefully a place where even Jenova could not reach him for a time. "Don't worry, General," she whispered, " it's not everyday you get a second chance and I promise I won't waste mine or yours." Aeris pushed his silver hair out of his eyes and placed her hand upon his chest, between the buckles. His heart beat slow and strong under her hand and she released a small sigh of relief. Aeris moved away, letting Cloud and Vincent secure Sephiroth. Cloud took the Masamune away from the area and everyone watched the sword with gazes filled with fear. Aeris however, resumed her seat next to Sephiroth with one hand on his head. Somehow she knew the Sleep spells would prove far more effective right now that any rope they could ever find. It was Sephiroth after all. The others folded in around them and all but Vincent, Nanaki, and Cloud kept a healthy distance from their captive.

"So," Aeris began - breaking the uncomfortable silence, "I have so much to tell you. It all started..." and so Aeris recounted her tale to her friends including the fact that she was supposed to die this day as the needed sacrifice to call Holy to the world. No one so much as coughed during her monologue. Though none failed to notice Cloud's increasing agitation the more Aeris spoke. Especially with the words she spoke at the last.

"This is what Jenova is and what Jenova does. She takes things over, moves them in ways that SHE needs them to go. And now we have a chance to..."

"You want to try to save him." Cloud cut her off as Aeris reached that part of her speech that he did not want to hear.

"Yes, I want to try. If nothing else the Jenova taint will have to be removed or killing him might not work. As long as Sephiroth is tainted with Jenova he will fight being absorbed into the Lifestream. If the Lifestream cannot absorb him, he cannot die."

"But you don't want to just free him from the taint. You want to _save_ him." Cloud said again though this time in a more accusing tone.

"Yes," she said quietly, looking down at the hand in her lap, "I know what he's done Cloud. I know what he was going to do. I won't say it was all Jenova or all Hojo. Sephiroth is a grown man and somewhere, someway he decided to walk the path. But..." she signed heavily and her pleading eyes looked around the assembled group, willing them to understand, "Sephiroth wasn't given much of a chance either. You don't what it's like to have something like Jenova inside of you. Whispering and cajoling. And then there is Hojo," Aeris let out a bitter laugh and willed the tears in her eyes not to fall, "all he knows how to do is destroy. We all know that. Imagine what is was like to be raised by someone like that. Imagine what is was like to be nothing but a weapon. I just have this feeling that he was taken advantage of in the most deplorable of ways. Not just Jenova, but his whole life and because for one moment he was weak and didn't fight he lost his soul. I don't think that's fair." Now she was crying. Hot tears spilled down her cheeks, hitting her hands. "I think he just deserves a chance to be himself again. If only for a moment and..." She stuttered, her words slurring with emotions she'd kept pent up so long. Emotions that Sephiroth himself had begun to release during their dreamtime encounters. "Why? Why should so many people have to die? And now here we are with a chance to really free General Sephiroth and maybe just maybe he'll help us destroy the monster that tried to destroy him. And maybe," her voice quieted to a whisper, "maybe no one else has to die." She fell quiet and silence reigned in the ancient room. Everyone lost themselves to their own thoughts and feelings; reliving horrors and hope, fears and dreams.

Cloud walked off without saying a word and Aeris crumpled. Her head fell to the ground and her body shook with sobs. Her hand though remained on Sephiroth's head and she subconsciously kept renewing the Sleep spell over him. _He'll hate me forever. _She thought in sullen silence. _No matter what happens now, Cloud will always remember that I pleaded for Sepiroth's life. Oh, Planet, this was supposed to make things better. A chance to really set things right! Why does hope always seem to bring so much pain with it?_ The others began to move, but she only noticed the sounds until a wet nose poked at her cheek. Aeris looked up with red, puffy eyes at Nanaki.

"Am I wrong?" She asked in a hoarse voice as the great creature sat next to her.

"No," he finally said, "but it is hard for Cloud and Tifa to accept your request. Sephiroth took almost everything from them in a single moment. He almost took you from them. Forgiving him, giving him a chance are not concepts they wish to entertain. They have relied upon their need for vengeance for too long. With neither realizing just how close their feels of revenge make them like Sephiroth. They must move past those feeling and find a deeper reason to fight in order to win, but..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "You must be prepared Aeris for the outcomes. Accept that you might not be able to rid of him this taint and accept that even if you do, you might not be able to save his life." Aeris choked back another hysterical sob and nodded.

"I know. I have to try though, Nanaki." The cat like creature smiled at her and placed one large paw over her free hand.

"Yes, you do. It is who you are, Aeris. That is why you came here. To try and save everything you love, because you love everything. Even him." Aeris gulped. She hadn't told them of her nighttime encounters with the General. "You have a capacity to love that few people can imagine and you have very little room in you for hatred. It is hard for Cloud to understand when he has spent so much time hating Sephiroth and hating himself." Aeris released a breath and nodded with the cat's words.

It was Vincent and Tifa that left to find Cloud and Aeris began to mentally prepare herself for the next step. Nanaki helped her. Together they drew the circles and runic symbols that would aid her magic. Together they set the proper materia at the proper joining points of their drawing around the General who slept on, oblivious to those deciding his fate. Even Aeris could admit that her preparations might have been for nothing, but she needed to keep busy, keep moving forward. It was the Planet's presence that welled up to calm her troubled spirit, and Aeris continued with the renewed strength and the knowledge that her oldest and dearest friend was with her in this fight. Her ancestors remained silent though and Aeris suspected it was because they did not entirely agree with her decisions.

"So what it is it you plan on doing?" It was Cloud's voice that broke her concentration and Aeris looked up, steeling herself against what she might see in his eyes. He wasn't happy - at all, but apparently his talk with the other two had brought him to the place where he would at least listen.

"It's a variation on the ritual that brought my ancestors and the Planet together. I am going to use Planet as a conduit to push my mind into Sephiroth's mind. It will allow me to..." She frowned, searching for the right words. "Untangle Jenova from him and with Planet's power behind me, we should be able to destroy the Jevona taint inside of him." Wow, it was a vague explanation, but Aeris had no idea what to expect. "If anything goes wrong, and I've already spoken to Nanaki on what to look for in those terms, kill him immediately. Jenova won't be able to come here again. It was Sephiroth that brought the piece of her anyway. With them separated it should be easier to break the connection between them.. but it's risky, and we have to be prepared for anything."

"What will happen to you if we kill Sephiroth while you're inside his mind?" Ah yes, leave it to Vincent to ask the question she didn't want to answer.

"Planet will protect me and draw me back." She said and felt guilty for the lie. Planet would try to draw her back, but it might not be able to do so. Vincent sensed the lie. Aeris saw it in his eyes, but he did not contradict her. Instead he asked...

"What will happen if you cannot cast Holy?"

"The clones aren't strong enough for Jenova to use if that's what your asking. Using the Black Materia requires a very strong willed individual to use it and the clones do not have the kind of internal strength that Sephiroth has." In the end he nodded once, accepting her answer, or at least seemed to accept it.

"Fine," the single word came from Cloud, "you can do this Aeris, but I make no promises on what happens if you succeed."

"Thank you, Cloud." Was all she said in response. "Nanaki will keep Sephiroth asleep once I begin."

"And I will stand guard with Cid." Vincent said in his usual calm tone. Aeris flashed him a strange look, wondering what he thought they would need to be guarded from, but she decided not to question him...yet anyway.

"All right. I'm going to start." And then, under her breath, she muttered. "Before I lose my nerve."

Planet reached out for her and Aeris let herself fall into its embrace. The ritual would not be so different from what she'd done to Jenna, but it would be more intense and far more risky. One by one, Aeris lit the materia around the circle until each tiny stone shone with a brightly colored light. She murmured the words Planet told her to speak and most of the words were not in a language that she understood. Still she spoke them, her kneeling form swaying over Sephiroth in time to the rhythm of the words. The ambient power left in the room from her incomplete casting of Holy sprung to life once again. The white swirl of energy moved through each piece of materia and around the containing circle with ever greater speed. Aeris gritted her teeth, holding onto the words Planet whispered to her even as the strength of the energies around her vibrated her flesh and bones. Her hands gripped Sephiroth's head: both thumbs rested upon his chin and her fingers splayed out over his temples and cheeks.

"Open unto me." She whispered. The swirling energies created an audible howl as they raced up towards the ceiling and condensed into one bright point of light. The light shot down, lance like in shape, spearing Aeris through the back and through Sephiroth's chest. When the light vanished, Aeris' body slumped down over the General. Her brown hair spilling over his chest and her hands slid to his neck and shoulders. However the Cetra still breathed.

* * *

A/N Phew, I didn't think I'd ever get this one posted. It appears that REALLY doesn't like word formatting. I will have to find a way around this since I only have Word. (A friend sent me this out of Open Office). So keep your fingers crossed!


	14. Into The Abyss Part One

A/N: I had debated doing Into the Abyss as one whole chapter. However since this section turned out to be eleven pages, and I'm pretty such part two will be at least as long, I figured it would be better to break them up. In fact it could end up in three parts depending. It's almost a story within the story (to a point). These chapters also are my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them. I have two concerns with the upcoming chapters: one concern is that chapter may not be as clear as I like, and two is the portrayal of Sephiroth. I'm really hoping to show a logical progression for him _without_ a tremendous amount of extra angst. I think with Sephiroth it is very easy to go overboard in order to make him a more sympathetic figure, and I want to avoid that if I can. So if it seems confusing, please let me know.

**Chapter 14: Into the Abyss - Part One**

**The Last Temptation**

She fell for what felt like an eternity, and when she finally landed in what she could only assume was a puddle of water, Aeris still had no idea where she might be. Everything was dark in every direction, and the only sound was the slosh and tinkle of the water when she moved. With a groan, she pushed herself up to her feet, shivering in her now cold clothes. While Aeris still felt Planet in the back of her mind, its words were muted to her. Not that it mattered from what she could tell, Planet wasn't entirely sure what to do next. Finally with a heavy sigh, Aeris picked a direction and just hoped that her feet were going in a straight path. The sound and depth of the water didn't change no matter how far she walked, and she really started to wonder if she was perhaps walking in circles.

Then off in the distance a light appeared - just a think horizontal break in the darkness. Still it was something and her pace increased to a jog. The light loomed a head, growing taller the closer she came to it. First the shadowy silhouette of a door appeared then the light brightened and carried the murmur of voices. Yet Aeris felt no joy at the sounds. This was Sephiroth's mind after all, and the sound of voices could mean anything.

Cautiously, she edged closer to the door and peaked around the corner. Inside a dozen bodies in white lab coats milled around with clip boards or sat at computers inputting data with startling speed. Biting her lower lip, Aeris eased the heavy door open. The murmuring voices grew louder, but no one looked her way. She edged inside the door - one hand gripped the knob tightly. Still no one noticed her presence. She stepped into the room, walking slowly through the two rows of desks. A folder, balanced precariously on the edge of a desk, caught her attention.

_Jenova Initiative: Ancient cloning_

_Phase 2 - Growth and Development_

_Enhancement Series - Mako 3.47_

_Subject: Sephiroth_

_With phase one complete, we seek to move on to phase two which will require the subject's exposure to concentrated Mako. I have decided to use the refined Mako 3.47 formula as it lacks the impurities of other strains. The continuous exposure (intravenously of course as the primary method with inhalation and immersion used as well) should increase subject's bonding with the Ancient (Jenova) material. I will forego the use of sedatives for the process since they will dangerously lower the subject's heartbeat and (as we all know) every ounce of data that can be compiled is valuable. _

Aeris' eyes rapidly scanned the pages and the color drained from her face with each new page her eyes saw. The following pages detailed that general Mako exposure began at age one and the injections began at age five. The older Sephiroth grew, the more frequent his Mako exposures became. In fact, according to the chart in her hand, he was due for another treatment that very day. Aeris raced to the front of the room where a large glass plate overlooked the experiment chamber. The first thing that she saw was a large surgical chair in the center of the room. Tubes of all kinds hung off of hooks and connected to a variety of devices around the space. Machines hummed in nearly every corner with everything washed out by the bright, fluorescent lighting above.

"No." She murmured quietly and pressed her hands against the glass. White caught her eyes and Aeris looked at her arms to see the same lab coat that others wore draping her frame. She didn't have time to process the possible meaning, if any, of the change. Below her the double doors opened and two Turks that she did not know, but recognized their occupation well enough from their dress, escorted a small boy into the room. The boy was unmistakable. His silvery hair was cut short, barely reaching his ears and they'd dressed him in clinical white pants and a shirt of the same giving him a severely washed out, sickly appearance. Aeris pressed closer to the glass as the men led the boy to the chair and strapped him into it with the heavy leather binders attached to the chair. Child-Sephiroth immediately looked up at the ceiling and ignored the lab technicians around him. One woman rolled up his sleeves to his elbows and his pants legs to his knees. She talked to him. Even though Aeris could not hear the words it was clear that the boy ignored the woman. He never looked at the woman, his eyes never shifted from the ceiling, and his lips didn't move at all. Into each appendage, an IV needle was inserted and the long tubes ran up to bags containing a pale green substance. From the look of it, Aeris thought that the Mako had been diluted into some kind of solution to make it easier for Sephiroth's body to absorb it, perhaps even lowering the risk of death.

Hojo came to stand next to Aeris even though he continued to remain unaware of her presence. Without so much as a warning, the man hit the intercom button.

"Start the process." His nasally voice grated out. The woman nodded and adjusted the tubes until the liquid flowed freely through them. Aeris could see the green icor underneath his skin as it entered his veins. His breathing increased and Aeris' eyes shot to the monitors which showed his body's statistics.

_Rising heart rate._

A whimper came over the intercom from the boy strapped on the table.

_Rapid decrease in blood oxygen._

The woman put a mask over Sephiroth's head and the veins on his wrists popped to the surface of his skin as he strained against his bindings.

_Internal temperature spiked._

They cooled the room with a flip of switch until the Turks and the technician breathed fog into the air. Sephiroth's eyes rolled into the back of his head, but his brain function showed that he remained alert.

The last of the Mako solution filtered into his system.

She could see each vein and artery in his body due to the pale, green glow under his skin, yet even though the 'treatment' had ended, Sephiroth still bowed up from the table; his small body fighting the restraints and the pain. It wasn't until he sagged back into the chair, defeated and exhausted, that they began to remove the needles. Hojo tsked the boy over the intercom.

"You should be used to this by now Subject 0." Aeris stared at the man in horror of his callous tone. Could he really view his own son in such a way? Aeris' fingers curled against the glass and she fought back a whimper.

"Take the blood samples now." Hojo spoke again, but it was the raw and pained groan from Sephiroth that spurred Aeris into action.

"Stop this! Can't you see he's had enough?" Suddenly all of the people that had not acknowledged her turned and gazed at her with unblinking, inhuman seeming eyes. Only the tiny boy's eyes showed any emotion at all.

"An unaltered Ancient specimen. Truly remarkable." Hojo learned and leaned closer to Aeris. "We will have to take you apart and see how work, just like we will the boy." Hojo face changed and distorted, taking on the slimy purple coloring of Jenova. With a shove Aeris pushed Hojo away from her, but the others were closing in fast. Frantically Aeris looked around and her eyes settled on a nearby chair. With a heave, she launched it through the observation glass, sending a rain of broken shards onto the floor below. They reached for her, nearly dragging her away, but she wrenched out of the lab coat and vaulted through the opening. Broken glass cut into her knees as she landed. Her hands shook as she unlatched Sephiroth from his bindings and he only watched her with wide, surprised eyes.

"Get her." The words came from a bloated Hojo, but the voice no longer sounded like his. It was a low, feminine voice filled with menace. Aeris rounded on the Turks as she used one arm to heave Sephiroth from the table.

"O_ighir liathróid!" _She shouted, flinging one hand in their direction. A massive ball of ice coalesced in front of her then slammed into the oncoming Turks, and smashed through the door behind them. Aeris wasted no time in shifting the boy's weight into both arms. With a sudden burst of speed, she took off running into the badly lit hallway beyond.

Panic drove Aeris through the winding hallways full of bits of debris that threatened to trip her up at each step. Her breaths started to sting her chest and she felt a stitch developing in her side. Panting, she rounded a corner and opened a door to a seemingly unused office. Once inside, Aeris sat the silent child on the desk and proceeded to lock the door, and braced a couple of old chairs against it. Then she slumped over with her hands on her knees trying to catch her breath.

"What are you doing here, Cetra-girl?" The sound of the child-Sephiroth coupled with his pointed question drew her attention at once.

"Saving you?" She asked with a half grin that bordered on smirk.

"And you think carrying me away from an old memory will save me?" The boy asked with an incredulous gaze. His piercing green eyes seemed to pin her to wall with no less intensity then he would have as a man.

"Wait.." She began, walking slowly towards him. "You know that was just a memory. I mean your aware that it was the past?" How unusual. Older avatars in a person's mind rarely lived outside of the memories they were formed from and almost never had any inkling that time had passed from those same memories.

"Yes, I am fully aware of my adult self and his _situation."_ The boy scowled and held his wrists, upturned, out towards her. At first Aeris didn't understand, then what looked like chains shimmered over his wrists. It was an ethereal representation, that she understood. What shocked her was that even though the bindings looked like the links of a length of chain, they were a ghastly purple in color and seemed far too organic to be metal. As she expected, when Aeris tried to touch the chains, her fingers passed right through them and she received a vague, unpleasant feeling from the contact.

"Psychic bonds." She concluded and the child nodded. Aeris crouched in front of him, taking one of his arms gently in her hands. The boy flinched when she touched over the Mako injection sites. "I won't hurt you." She said, looking up at him with a kind, lopsided smile. "I meant it when I said that I'm here to save you." Child-Sephiroth nodded.

"I know you are and even though I realize that these are old wounds. They still ache." He said the last quietly with his head dipped low in order to hide his expression. Aeris bit her lower lip and turned her attention back to his arm lest she start crying over the pain she heard in his voice. Beneath his skin she could see the same purplish hue winding through his veins though it was incredibly faint. With pursed lips, Aeris gently put his arm down and sat back on her heels.

"So she is using her psychic control to bind you, but why?" Aeris looked at the boy.

"No, not just me. She binds all of us away, traps up in separate corners. The only one that she lets free is _HIM._ He's her favorite. She chose him even after she promised to love us." It wasn't hard to hear the betrayal in his tone.

"So there's more like you?" She queried softly, unsure of whether or not to try and console him.

"No, I mean not exactly like me. We're all different pieces if that makes any sense." Well it didn't, not entirely anyway.

"Can you show me?" The boy nodded slowly with a hint of doubt in his eyes.

"I probably can't take you all the way. Not with these chains on me." He lifted his wrists again and for a moment, Aeris could clearly see the delicate, sinister links running around his wrists and through his tiny body. It saddened her, but it also hardened her resolve. No on deserved this. She didn't care what crimes he might have committed even before Jenova's influence. With her determination renewed, Aeris sat next the poor boy and slowly looped one arm around his shoulders.

"You take me as far as you can. Then, if you want to go with me, I'll carry you the rest of way."

"You mean you won't leave me?"

"I'll move Heaven and Planet if I have to, Sephiroth. I won't leave you." She met his eyes and he studied her so intently that she thought the boy might be able to see directly into her soul and beyond.

"He said you were nice."

"Who said that?" Now she looked at him strangely.

"Him, the older me. He's the one we'll have to find eventually. He's the only one that can possibly beat _HIM._ It's a long trip though and we might have to pick up the others on the way. I've never tried getting there. He only comes to me when he can, and tries to break these." He held up his wrists again. "But the last time he said we might have help. I..." He dipped his head again with a shake of his shoulders. "I didn't believe him. I'm sorry." Aeris stifled a cry and gathered the unresisting child onto her lap.

"No, you have nothing be sorry about with me." Sephiroth seemed to melt against her for a few precious seconds. When he tensed, she let him go.

"We should get moving. There are other things besides _HIM _around here. Memories that she gave power in order to keep us in our places." Aeris nodded and slid off the table, offering her hand to the boy, and was surprised when he accepted it. Together they moved the chairs away from the door. and left the room. He led her through the winding corridors and a few times Aeris wondered if he wasn't taking her circles, but her own intuition and Planet told her to trust the boy. Out of the corner of her eye, Aeris glanced his way. He still held her hand and still wore the same serious expression on his face. Unlike most children his age, he lacked the chubby cheeked visage of most. Already his features bore the sharp angles that would come to define his face as an adult. With a sigh she kept to herself Aeris turned back around and followed the boy's lead, until that is he came to an abrupt halt.

"Oh no. We have to hurry." With a great tug on her hand, Sephiroth took off running down the hallway. Aeris didn't ask why for the second after they started running she heard a great metallic roar behind them. There were two things Aeris noticed almost at once: there were no more doors along the walls of the hallway, and Sephiroth ran incredibly fast for a child his size. _He was bred and trained to be a fighter. They wanted to see how much they could get out of him. _She reminded herself, glancing at the boy only for a moment. Aeris heard something slam into the walls behind them. She looked over her shoulder and saw one of the Shinra Death Machines hitting the opposite wall with another roar. Although it did not look quite right. It bore the same purple-organic look of the boy's chains and it was larger than she remembered and much more menacing. Aeris swallowed hard when she saw the machine gun ports open and gun barrels emerge from the holes. Hurriedly, she flung herself at Sephiroth, erecting a barrier as she did so. The bullets tinged off the barrier in rapid succession. With a wave of her hand, Aeris extended the barrier to cover the whole hallway. In unspoken agreement they both took off running again. The barrier wouldn't buy them much time at all.

And they were right...

Mere moments later, they heard the thunderous crash of the creature behind them. It's drill feet, punching holes through rock and steel in order to catch up to them.

"We're almost there." he shouted. Aeris spun around and flung herself against the opposite wall just before the creature slammed one of its gun arms into her back. It shot several bullets into the wall. Had she not moved when she did, Aeris would have had the wall's fate.

"Keep going!" She yelled at Sephiroth before flinging her hands out in front of her. The ground shook underneath the Death Machine and the creature's footing became uncertain. It roared and slid to the side, giving Aeris the chance to resume her flight. Up ahead she saw the opening that Sephiroth bolted toward. It looked as if it led to nothing, just more darkness. Aeris trembled. Surely this couldn't be where they were supposed to go? _Trust, Aeris-child, trust._ Came Planet's hushed whisper. So she ran faster. The Death Machine fell through the floor behind them, but a stray bullet clipped Aeris' leg sending her toppling over the edge at the end of the hallway.

_SPLASH._

Aeris hit bitterly cold water. Frantically she surged for the surface, taking in great gulps of air. She saw Sephiroth next to her. He reached out, pulling her close with one hand. His continued increase in strength amazed her.

"We have to go down." He said, treading water easily despite the cold. Personally, Aeris thought he was crazy. "Just follow me!" He said before diving underneath the black water. Aeris took a deep breath and followed him beneath the surface. At first it remained pitch black and cold. Eventually a diffuse reddish glow permeated the water, but it felt no less chilling than before. _I'm going to mentally freeze to death._ Aeris thought and envied the ease with which Sephiroth pushed through the water. Many times he stopped to wait for her to catch up. The bullet wound on her leg hindered her progress more than she would have liked to admit.

Down, down, down, they went until Aeris thought her lungs might burst and it became harder to fight the urge to breath. Her eyes blurred and her arms had a heavy, leaden feel to them. Suddenly something brushed her leg. Looking back she saw nothing.

When she turned around a gaunt, haunted face appeared in front of her. It looked like Sephiroth superficially. The silvery hair had a lackluster tinge to it. The face was sallow. It's spindly hands reached for her and gripped hard around her shoulders. Aeris fought the urge to scream and instead pushed against its attenuated frame. It wasn't hard to free herself from it, but when she tried to move another had grabbed her from behind. Aeris thrashed in the water, twisting and turning as more and more figures grabbed onto to her.

_The Clones._ Suddenly the idea clicked within her. Even if these creatures weren't a true physical representation of the clones, their mental appearance reflected their connection to Sephiroth. They kept pulling at her, murmuring words that she didn't understand. The more she fought, the more that her lungs burned and the need to breathe became almost unbearable.

Red light flared all around her as a tendril of fire raced around the clones, singing them, driving them away from her. Aeris shuddered hard when Sephiroth tugged on her again. It took a healthy dose of will to push through the water now. His hand gripped her arm tightly as he propelled them through the water. Finally they breached the surface and fell a short distance to the ground. Aeris coughed and heaved up water from her pained lungs. She hadn't swallowed much of the brackish water, but it was enough. Dried grass poked her and when Aeris looked up, she could see the water suspended above them and the faces of the clones glinting underneath the surface.

"_He_ only pulls them out of the water when _HE_ needs them. They grab onto anything because they need _HIM_ so badly." Then he turned his electric-green eyes away from the water and looked at her. "You should heal your leg now." He said and sat next to her on the barren ground. "We're almost there, but I have no idea what might find us on the way."

He spoke so matter-of-factly about their predicament that Aeris wanted to laugh. Then again she supposed that this was how he lived his ..life.. day after day he was trapped in this world with limited ability to move around. Having her here must seem like a dream come true to him.

She turned her attention to her leg, holding back a wince at the strange little ice crystals that had formed around the bullet wound. Aeris used a variation of a barrier spell to surround the bullet and mentally work it back out of the hole without making the damage worse. Suddenly, when heat permeated her shivering form, she looked up and watched the boy surround them in a gentle heat from a fire he'd created.

"Thank you." She said with a smile and he only offered a smaller version of the same expression in return.

It didn't take her long to heal the wound and when she stood up, it curiously did not hurt at all. Then again all of this was an elaborate mental representation. She supposed the rules weren't exactly normal when it came getting hurt.

"All right, I'm ready." He nodded and turned, heading in the direction of a town, or so she assumed. The closer they grew to their destination, the denser and more lush the vegetation became. Palm trees towered over her head and a thick carpet of grass and vines littered the ground. She stepped cautiously, but still noticed that her steps were much louder than Sephiroth's. A steady, rich green glow permeated the area and once they got close enough, Sephiroth pulled Aeris down behind some bushes.

"This is Mideel." Aeris had never been to the town before, but she knew that a natural Lifestream spring was close to the town. "Shinra wanted to study the area and the people, but they didn't want to be studied. It was my first mission in soldier. I was fifteen and under the command of General Grund. But..." He looked off to the left of the high bridge over the entrance of the town.

"Why?" Aeris saw an older Sephiroth standing near a house, engaged in a heated conversation with an older man. His voice had carried easily over the distance and his green eyes blazed with unconcealed anger. The older man had salt and pepper hair, a large broad build, and stood a full head shorter than Sephiroth.

"Hojo's orders." Responded the gruff man. Despite his instance, he didn't seem all too thrilled with whatever these orders were. "You are ordered to spend increasing amounts of time in the spring during the duration of our stay. You are to let the scientists record whatever data they need without complaint." A sullen Sephiroth clenched his fists until the veins on the backs of his pale hands stood out.

"This was supposed to have ended once I entered SOILDER." He hissed before lifting his head. "Fine. I will comply, Sir." The man clamped a hand on Sephiroth's shoulder.

"This _will_ be the last time Sephiroth. I will speak with the President about that idiot Hojo's continued interference with your training. You can't be a good soldier with that man jabbing needles into you all the time." The man, and Aeris figured it was General Grund, sounded sincere, and this other version of Sephiroth seemed to believe him.

"He convinced the President right after the mission, and even though he met with an accident a week later, the President never let Hojo have control of me again." The younger Sephiroth said. Before she could ask him anything, he tugged her hand, leading her through the dense jungle around the village. It was obvious that he didn't want to be spotted by anyone. Of course anyone in this memory could be another Jenova trap or construct.

Branches snagged her clothes and hair. She really couldn't see where they were going through the crowded vegetation. He seemed to know though and Aeris relied on him and his knowledge to get them to the next place. He crouched again at the edge of a clearing and nearly jerked her off of her feet to kneel next to him. Flashing him a disgruntled look that he ignored, Aeris turned and looked where he pointed.

There was a tiny depression in the ground, and in that depression bubbled the Lifestream. It was hard to tell how far down it went, but it was easy to feel the power radiating from it. Noise off to the left distracted her and Aeris turned her head to see the older Sephiroth moving through the underbrush with far more ease than she had shown. Behind him were two scientists already scribbling on their note pads and asking questions that Sephiroth tried to answer in three words or less.

It was beyond strange to see him in the usual SOLDIER grayish-blue uniform though he did not were a helmet and his hair now reached past his shoulder. Meticulously, Sephiroth stripped off his chest guard, shirt and gloves, followed by his boots and socks. She noticed that he did not have Masamune yet and instead carried what seemed to be a standard issue sword.

"You know that you must remain for one hour." One of the scientists began and Sephiroth quelled the woman with a nasty scowl.

"You will leave and return after the hour has passed."

"Ohh no, we must stay and ob..."

"I said LEAVE!" Sephiroth didn't quite yell, but one could hear the menace in words. He turned his back on them and sunk into the pull which proved deep enough to reach the base of his neck. Of course Aeris didn't think that Sephiroth had reached his full height yet. The scientists scurried off a moment later.

"Come on," Child-Sephiroth pulled her out the bushes and into the clearing with him.

The older Sephiroth startled immediately. One hand grabbed his sword that he'd left within easy reach before rounding on his intruders. When he saw them, Aeris recognized the shock in his eyes. That gaze flicked back and forth between herself and Child-Sephiroth rapidly.

"This is her?" He asked with a note of incredulity in his voice. The boy nodded. He'd stopped several feet away from his other self. "Really? She's the one we've been waiting for?" The derision in his tone was apparent and Aeris bestowed a baleful glare upon him.

"I can leave if you like." It was a bluff. She wouldn't leave, she was fairly certain that the boy knew she wouldn't leave, but she really wanted this Sephiroth to drop the attitude.

"No," he said holding up one hand in an unspoken apology, "I just expected you to be more... Goddess like?" Aeris laughed. Really. Her a Goddess?

"Well, sorry, but I'm all you're getting." She said with an amused tone. It was then she noticed that the two did not move closer to one another. With a frown, Aeris moved to the older Sephiroth and lifted his hand. He tried to pull away, but it was the boy who shook his head so that the other would hold still. With a whispered word the shackles and chains appeared on this Sephiroth as well. Aeris looked them over before glancing back at the boy. The energy coming off their bindings repelled each other. Her eyes widened.

"She wanted to make sure that none of you could repair the damage. She didn't only suppress you, she separated you, chained you, and imprisoned you. To keep him under control." It dawned on Aeris the enormity of just what Jenova had done. The creature had psychically spliced Sephiroth apart and used psychic bonds to repress the elements of him that might opposed her. Then she made sure that they could not join together again - limiting any power they might have had, thus limiting any chance of Sephiroth regaining control of himself. The only reason Child-Sephiroth had gotten this far...

...was because of her. Aeris had weakened the bonds with her presence.

"I know what to do." She said softly and both of them looked at her with hooded eyes tinged with a painful glimmer of hope. "Both of you take my hands." She extended one hand towards each of them, stretching as far as she could. The reached, both of them breaking out into a cold sweat as the Jenova taint sought to prevent them from coming any closer together. Already Aeris felt Planet moving into her, providing her with the raw power she needed. Aeris filtered and tamed that power through her soul until it no longer burned like an inferno, but warmed like a balmy summer day. Tendrils of power left her fingertips and surrounded her before the thin filaments of power started reaching out to them.

Both Sephiroths watched anxiously as the magic wrapped around their shaking, outstretched hands. It slid under their skin the way the Mako injections had, but it didn't hurt. At least not in the same way. Once that pure magic focused by Aeris' will came into contact with the chains, it did start to burn. Or more accurately it started to melt the ephemeral bindings. It stung and the further the power reached, the greater the pain became. Aeris saw the Child-Sephiroth stagger and she reached out fast, grabbing his hand in hers. Her glowing eyes finding his with a gentleness that seemed to stun him.

"I'm here with you, I won't leave you." She said and he nodded, pushing himself towards her even as she drew him near. Aeris noticed that visible signs of his pain lessened once he came into physical contact with her. Maintaining her hold on his hand Aeris diverted the flow of a tiny bit of the energy. Instead of it going just into Child-Sephiroth, she pulled it back into her after it had entered him - and with it came his pain. It felt like a thousand hot needles piercing her skin over and over again. Yet the relief on his face made the hurt worth the suffering.

With renewed determination, Aeris tightened her hand on Child-Sephiroth and lunged towards the older one. Her hand wrapped around his wrist and the agony within her intensified. Her eyes watered, but despite her blurred vision, she saw the sickly purple color flowing into her from the tendrils of energy she drew back into herself. Planet anchored her mind and Aeris pulled their hands closer and closer to together while simultaneously cleansing the Jenova taint from them.

The light around them grew and swirled with the force of the energy around them. Finally their fingers intertwined with Aeris still holding onto their wrists. Child-Sephiroth looked at her with wide eyes filled with what looked like tears.

"Thank you." He said in a strangely disjointed voice. "You didn't leave me, you kept your promise." And then in a last burst of brilliance, the Child merged with the Adolescent and when the light faded only Adolescent-Sephiroth remained. Sadness entered Aeris' heart. She knew she would never see the boy again. But his words at the end moved her like nothing else.

She shook her head and turned her attention back to the one that remained. His eyes nearly bulged out of his head and he stuttered.

"You...you _are _a Goddess." Aeris' eyebrows shot up into her hairline, but then she looked down at herself. Whitish-blue and green light swirled around her _through_ her. It lit her from the inside giving her what could only be called an unearthly radiance. Planet called back the power slowly and softly until Aeris no longer emanated a bright light.

"No," she shook her head, "I'm just a messenger." Aeris squeezed his had, but the awe struck look took a few minutes to leave him.

Of course the earsplitting snarl vibrating through the area did help divert his attention.

"Damn, _He _felt that. We have to get going." Adolescent-Sephiroth seemed to share the same love of jerking her around by the hand that his younger self had. Even at his age and weilding a standard issue sword, Sephiroth used it with nearly the same grace as the older him with the legendary Masamune. He slashed branches and brush out of their way so they could maintain a fast pace.

Two figures crashed through the trees in front of them. They wore the same white coats as the scientists from before, but their bodies had been changed. One was wide with dark green skin and sallow eyes. Massive tusks dipped nearly to the creature's knees. The other one was tall, taller than Sephiroth himself. Though its hands reached the ground with long talons scrapping over the ground. The large one growled while the tall one hissed. Aeris saw the taint in their eyes.

"Jenova constructs." Sephiroth confirmed, bringing his sword around in front of him. "Stay behind me." He said with an imperious air that _definitely_ reminded Aeris of his adult self. Sephiroth stepped forward and his eyes narrowed on the creatures in front of him. His sword held across his body with both hands on the hilt. His adversaries shifted around, spacing themselves out.

Immediately Aeris noted the differences between Cloud and Sephiroth. Sephiroth had a more compact stance and held his sword at an angle. She did not doubt more differences would become apparent over time. Then like a coiled snake, he struck. He was so fast that Aeris barely registered his motion. The first creature screamed and a large gash seemed to magically appear on his chest. It slashed with its massive hands, but it caught only air.

Another roar and its left arm fell off and hit the ground. It staggered back, gripping the stump. Sephiroth moved in for the kill. However, he'd taken his eyes off the second opponent. A beam of ice hit Sephiroth in the side and sent him flying through the air. Aeris let out a strangled yell which brought the tall creature's attention upon her. _Oh chocobo feathers! _ Aeris looked around frantically before lifting a large stick off the ground. The piece of wood was as thick around as her wrist and about as long as her staff. It's weight felt familiar and comfortable in her hands.

It charged her and Aeris spun to the side, bringing her staff around to smack the creature in the back. It's long arm slashed at her and managed to rip a portion of her dress. _Too close._ She thought and prepared herself for the next attack. Behind her she heard the scuffle of Sephiroth and the larger creature. While she'd heard a grunt or two from her companion, it was the creature who screamed the loudest. An ear piercing wail drew her attention back to the one she should be dealing with anyway. The creature unleashed a multitude of quick swipes. It's large claws splinter the wood in her hands as she deflected the blows. It kept backing her up, further away from Sephiroth. _It's trying to separate us!_ Her mind screamed. Aeris barely dodged another attack, but instead of backing up, she rolled to the side, moving herself back in Sephiroth's direction.

Another lunge and the creature broke her makeshift weapon. Aeris sucked in a breath and a readied a spell that she knew wouldn't be ready before the monster attacked again. However the expected blow never came. Aeris opened her eyes and in front of her, Sephiroth had impaled the creature. His arm bled from a large, jagged gash, but it was the look on his face that caused her to hold her breath. Those eyes never wavered from his target and his expression did not seem to register any pain or discomfort at all. With a sound of metal against bone, Sephiroth withdrew his sword and his enemy fell to the ground.

"Let's go, there are more coming." One of her hands stopped him and Aeris healed his wounds without a word spoken between them. He looked at her with an inscrutable gaze before turning around - his hand on her wrist as he tugged her with him again.

Honestly, Aeris was tired of running, but she pushed on behind him. He knew where they needed to go, or at least she hoped so. They came to skidding halt on the edge of a cliff. _Great, more water. _Aeris thought and she looked at Sephiroth. She really didn't want to jump off a cliff into what would probably be freezing cold water.

"Please don't tell me we're going down." She asked with a gulp.

"I'm not, but you are. " He responded. "I cannot go past this point." Aeris rounded on him with a scowl.

"You have to come. You saw what happened with your other self. "

"I've never been able to go past this point. Even now I can't take another step forward. You'll just have to find another way. I'll hold them off for you." He moved to unsheathe his sword, but Aeris stopped him with a gentle hand.

"We go together, or we stay together. " She said in a firm tone and a determined look in her eye. He arched one brow as if asking how she planned to make that a reality. "Hold onto me, tightly." She instructed and readied her magic. He might not be able to move from this spot, so the spot would just have to move for him. Sephiroth wrapped his arms around her waist just as their pursuers broke the tree line. The ground beneath them groaned once then twice before it broke entirely away from the cliff and plummeted toward the water below. Aeris pushed off the falling platform and with a bit of magic propelled herself and him away from the falling debris. She felt them break through the barrier of that section of Sephiroth's mind and the one clinging to her regained his full mobility just before they hit the water.

And yes it _was_ freezing cold.


	15. Into The Abyss Part Two

**The Last Temptation**

**Chapter 15: Into the Abyss-Part Two**

_"I'm the one with the warrior inside._

_My dominance can't be denied._

_Your entire world will turn_

_Into a battlefield tonight."_

-Disturbed, _"Warrior_", Dan Donegan, David Drainman, Mike Wengren

Somehow Sephiroth's hand was still in hers when the water covered up their heads. In front of him, his sword emitted a white light which broke up the blackness of the water. The two looked at each other and, with Sephiroth's nod, he led her through the cold darkness. Aeris' skin no longer seemed to process the chill from the water and honestly it worried her. While she couldn't die of hyperthermia - literally speaking anyway - from Sephiroth's mental waters, the sensation and translation of that sensation into her own mind could affect her body. However her only alternative was to break the bond between them and return to her body. That would be a death sentence for him. Without the removal of the Jenova taint, Sephiroth was too powerful an enemy to leave alive. So she soldiered on and tried to ignore the feeling that she floated weightless inside of a completely empty sphere with Sephiroth as her only companion. The cold didn't seem to bother him anymore than it had bothered his younger counterpart.

Aeris couldn't help but think that circumstance to be very unfair.

She remained on high alert. Even if she hadn't encountered the clones the last time, a prickly feeling on the back of her neck had her nerves standing on edge. Bubbles danced in the light of Sephiroth's sword and she could see small shapes darting around, in and out of the scope of the illumination. The shapes got bigger as they swam further and what had started as a prickly feeling on the back her neck morphed into a shivering sensation over her entire body. Something was wrong. Aeris could feel it. Planet murmured in a worried tone in the back of her mind. Even Sephiroth slowed and instructed her to put her back to his. Aeris complied without a moments hesitation. A thought forced the light in his sword to grow even more, pushing back the darkness several more yards from them.

Immediately Aeris wanted to turn the light off again. Large creatures swam on the outskirts of the light and many of them hurried to retreat to the darkness after she had extended the spell. Her first impression was the rows and rows of sharp teeth many of them possessed. One hovered closer to the light boundary more than any other. Cracks in its tough, shark like hide glowed with eerie Mako green. Though its body was predominately gray in color, it had purple tinted appendages on its back that seemed to be spiked at the ends. While it might have been the most vicious seeming of the bunch, Aeris doubted that it was the only predator in this sea. However, none of them attacked and finally Sephiroth nudged her shoulder.

He placed her hand on his sword with his and the two of them resumed their trek through the water.

Then something large slammed hard into their backs and Aeris watched in mute horror as the sword slipped from their fingers and fell into the pitch black below. It seemed they both had the same idea as the they righted themselves and shot towards the surface. Fins brushed her leg. Teeth grazed her shoe. The creatures were teasing them. All of them well aware of the prey they had right in their grasp.

_What do I do? What do I do!_ Aeris' mind raced in frantic circles, knowing they would never reach the surface in time, and even if they did, there was no guarantee that the surface would provide them with any safety. She broke the surface with a great, gasping breath. Sephiroth burst to the surface next to her. They looked around, knowing danger was not far from them. Suddenly Sephiroth shot beneath the surface and the surprise on his face told Aeris that he had not submerged of his own volition. Panic welled up in Aeris' throat even as she dove back under the water.

It was by sheer luck that she saw Sephiroth in time to grab onto his hand as the creature drug him deeper into the murk below. Together they fought, but it did little good against the strength of whatever had a hold of him.

_Down_, _down_, _down_, they went until not even a speck of light permeated the black liquid. Suddenly the water around them changed and the bright emerald glow pierced Aeris' eyes. She squinted and tried to look away, but it was everywhere. Aeris put her hand out only to encounter a solid, glass surface. Confused she looked towards Sephiroth. He was still next to her, but his eyes only stared beyond the glass with an element of fear in his gaze.

Aeris did not like that look - did not like the fact that something evoked _fear_ in him. Rubbing her eyes with one hand, Aeris looked through the glass and tried to ignore the discomfort of the glow. Slowly but surely, shapes clarified in her line of sight.

Tubes - hundreds of them. The same tubes she'd seen in the Shinra laboratories. They were suspension tubes used to house any subject in a liquid medium. For doctors it was sometimes necessary to keep a patient in a liquid medium, especially if they had suffered extensive burns, but for Shinra, such tubes meant testing.

Bubbles churned at their feet, distorting her view even more. However one thing remained perfectly clear: they had to get out of here. Aeris tugged on Sephiroth's arm, but he didn't respond. His eyes were locked on something she couldn't see.

Biting her lip, Aeris started to kick at the side of the tube, bracing her back on the other side. The green hued water rocked and rippled all around them with the force of her blows.

_Kick. Kick. Kick._ Again. Over. More. Then finally the glass cracked and with one more kick it shattered, spilling them in a wave of Mako enriched fluid onto the cold floor. Aeris coughed the sickly mixture out of her throat and lungs. It burned and the sensation went all the way to her soul. With shaking hands, Aeris pushed herself up to a sitting position and looked around for Sephiroth. He had fallen a few feet away onto his hands and knees, but his eyes maintained the same unseeing stare.

"Sephiroth?" Aeris queried while slowly placing a hand on his shoulder.

"You should go." He replied in a gravelly tone. "No one like you should have to see this."

"What? Sephiroth?" Aeris frowned softly before lifting her head again.

Tubes of Mako lined the walls. Tubes of Mako _and bodies_ lined the walls. Aeris pushed herself to her feet and half walked, half stumbled to the nearest set of cases. Inside was the shark like creature from the water. Only it didn't look quite so fearsome now. It was sickly, barely alive in fact, if the monitors next to it were any indication. Aeris picked up the chart hanging off the tube.

_Subject 1-15 - Jenova cells and mako acceleration._

_Conclusion: Subject unstable. Incinerate at the end of the week._

Aeris moved to more tubes and looked at more charts in the sterile, cold room. Most of them were the same: some poor creature infused with Jenova cells and exposed to Mako. Each of them unable to survive the garish mutations forced upon them by the experimental combination. She didn't want to turn the corner to the last row, but with a steadying breath, she forced herself to move.

Some of them were people, some of them were animals, and all but one was dead. In the very last tube, a wolf cub shifted pitifully in its confinement. Her shaky hands grasped the clip board and Aeris turned the page on top over.

_Subject 37-85 - Jenova cells and mako acceleration introduced via in utero injection. _

_Conclusion: Moderate success. Specimen has shown increased assimilation of Ancient genetic material. However I will begin testing on human subjects soon. Any adverse reactions can be sorted and fixed as we go. _

And Aeris understood. This laboratory was where the work that had led Sephiroth had been conducted. Aeris turned around over and over again, taking in the number of test subjects in the room, taking in the enormity and depravity of what had been done. There were fifty tubes at least per level and the levels went up farther than her eyes could see. Tears leaked from her eyes as her gaze fell on the tiny artic wolf again, and even though she felt Sephiroth's presence behind her, Aeris didn't turn around.

"So now you know how monsters are made." He said quietly.

"You're not a monster, Sephiroth." His bitter laugh did get her turn around.

"How can you say that after everything I've done? You should leave here, Aeris, and take that damn sword of mine in your hand and drive it through my heart like I was going to do to you." His head dipped in defeat as if he could no longer look at her and the creatures that had been the first trials for his existence.

"Because you're not." This time she did not hesitant to touch him. Her hand rested on his cheek. "Monsters don't feel remorse Sephiroth. Monsters don't feel guilt." He looked up at her and the raw need in his eyes to believe her brought a fresh bought of tears to her eyes. Here was a Sephiroth on the edge of manhood faced with terrible truths even an adult shouldn't have to see much less make sense of them. What really marveled her was how he'd made it as long as he had without going insane.

"Maybe not all of me, but a part of me is." Sephiroth took in a shaky breath, banishing what he had been about to say. "I just hope your as capable as he seems to think you are. I don't want you to die here." And then the moment was over. Sephiroth's cool expression feel back into place and he straightened himself to his full height once again.

"We better get moving." Aeris nodded and once more followed his lead.

It was through a hole in a wall that they found their escape. A wash of gentle blue light swallowed them as they left the laboratory and all of its horrors behind. Aeris didn't understand how Shinra could have allowed a man like Hojo to continue wrecking havoc on anything he touched. Then again, when Aeris looked at Sephiroth, she understood it all too well. Hojo's research had given Shinra a man so powerful that nothing seemed to be able to stop him. Emotion, thick and sorrowful, threatened to swallow Aeris hole. Impulse struck her full force and Aeris flung herself at Sephiroth, wrapping her arms tightly around his stiff frame.

"I'm going to tell you again, and you better believe me this time. You're not a monster, Sephiroth. You have a demon inside of you that is far stronger than anything most people could ever have the extreme misfortune to meet. You are the one who had to endure it all: Shinra, Hojo, and Jenova, and not because you are weak or a monster. I think it's because you are strong. Not many people could endure what you have endured and maintained any semblance of themselves. You did. And now you need some help. _I will help you._ You're not alone anymore, and I'm strong too. Like you, I've had to be strong. And the two of us together? Nothing can stop us. So I don't ever want to hear you call yourself a monster again, because I will hit you over the head if you do." She released him quickly before continuing on in the direction of before. It was several seconds later before she heard him to start to walk again behind her.

"Hit me over the head, huh?"

"I don't threaten very well."

"No, no you _really _don't. From now on leave the threatening to me."

"Haha. Actually I don't have a problem with that at all!"

And then, with a gut wrenching twist of reality, they were no longer walking through a path of unending light. Sephiroth and Aeris stood on a hill top at night. The wind moved lazily over them time and again, but the breeze was warm and comfortable to her skin. Aeris blinked and willed the churning in her stomach to go away. Up ahead she could see to figures standing in small valley. One of them unmistakable with silver-white hair now well down his back, though still not at the length she was most familiar with in the present. The other man wasn't as tall as Sephiroth, but he carried a sword that she recognized with no difficulty: The Buster Sword.

"Who is that man?" Aeris whispered in a trembling voice that drew an arched brow from Sephiroth.

"Angeal Hewley. Soldier, First Class. He was..." Sephiroth paused and swallowed hard. "...a very good friend of mine." Slowly, the pair made their way down to the two men who seemed to be engaged in a deep conversation. A sudden, unearthly roar stopped Aeris cold in her tracks. The two men below them immediately drew their swords in response to the sound. The Sephiroth with Aeris had lost his sword in the water and settled for positioning himself between Aeris and the direction from which the sound had come.

From the sky came two large figures outlined only by the light of the half moon hanging overhead. Even though Aeris could not see them clearly enough to tell what type of dragons they were, they were unmistakably dragons. Aeris grabbed Sephiroth and drug him behind a large stone when the two great creatures swooped out of the sky, spraying the ground with jets fire: one was darker than the night while the other had an electric blue sheen to the spiraling jet. The combined attack lit up the night and she saw one possessed a dark hide while the other was blue in color.

However, despite the attack, the dragons didn't seem to pay much attention to Aeris and Sephiroth. Instead they swerved in the air and hurtled towards the position of the older Sephiroth and Angeal Hewley. Aeris jumped up to help, but Sephiroth grabbed her arm and shook his head.

"You need to see this." Was all that he said. Aeris flashed him an uncertain glance. In the end though, she lowered herself back behind the rock with only the top of her head peeking over to witness what would come next. In a display of partnership of which Aeris had never heard of dragons possessing, both of the beasts honed in on Angeal as their primary target. Once again immense jets burst from the roaring dragons. Both spires speed towards Angeal. The man shifted his stance and brought the Buster sword in front of him with the larger flat side of the blade between him and the oncoming attack.

Both cones impacted on his sword and the magical barrier he'd erected which sent a shower of multi-colored sparks flying in every conceivable direction. With howls of rage, the dragon's pulled up out of their dive and circled back around. This time Angeal crouched ever so slightly in a waiting position and Aeris thought he was insane for holding his ground against them.

Yet he waited.

Again the dragons prepared their attack and still he did not move. Then, like a shot of lightening from the sky, Sephiroth moved. Stepping onto Angeal's back, Sephiroth launched himself at the Dark dragon. The beast's size would not allow it pivot suddenly in the air and Sephiroth impacted against the side of its neck. One of his arms looped around the leathery hide in between the lethal looking spikes running down the ridge of the monster's neck. At almost the same moment, Angeal unleashed a gust of wind at the blue dragon, knocking the creature of its course , and the turbulent wind made it hard for the beast to recover its equilibrium.

Aeris' eyes flicked back to Sephiroth as he flung a leg over the dragon's neck and began working his way to the thing's head with the help of a long knife he'd taken out of his boot. The wounds he inflicted with the weapon weren't enough to kill the massive dragon, but it howled none the less each time the blade bit into it. It tried to shake him off, but even though it managed to roll Sephiroth around on several attempts, it could not break his hold. Inch by inch, Sephiroth neared its head.

Angeal's howl caught her attention and Aeris pivoted, nearly tripping over Sephiroth. He steadied her with one hand, but she didn't notice. Angeal sprung from a crouch towards the blue dragon which had landed not far from him. A second, thinner sword cleaved the end of the dragon's tail when it tried to sweep Angeal with the long, thick appendage.

From the corner of her eyes, Aeris saw that Sephiroth had reach the Black dragon's head. One arm looped around and under the creature's jaw while he struck at the sensitive eyes with his knife. Then he called a fire spell and shot the magic directly into the great serpent's eyes. It screeched in pain and began a fast, downward dive. Sephiroth's coat fluttered like a wild thing behind him and he pressed himself closer to the creature. She could see the grim expression on his face. With a twist of the knife in the dragon's eye he drove the creature to the left and, to her horror, she realized just what he was about to do - Sephiroth was going to crash the Dark dragon into the Blue one.

She made to leave their hiding place again, but once more Sephiroth stopped her.

"You're seeing a memory, Aeris, and it's an important one." Still her hand shook in his and she was torn between his logic and what her heart screamed for her to do.

Angeal's sword pierced the Blue dragon's claw, pinning it to the ground. Angeal surrounded himself with another Barrier as the dragon lashed out with claws and tail to drive him back. In a few more seconds it was too late. Sephiroth leapt of the Black dragon's back and Angeal hurriedly rolled to right just before the larger dragon crashed into the small Blue.

There was an echo born of the cracking of bones and hide. There were shrieks, both dragon and human. Aeris bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. The two dragons thrashed on the ground, though it was obvious that the Blue dragon wouldn't be moving much longer. It keened out a long death wail before shuddering once and then moving no more. The Black dragon tried time and time again to pull itself up to its feet, but each time it fell back to the ground in a heap of bleeding flesh.

Sephiroth lifted his hand and the black, gaseous form of the Death spell left his palm and circled around the flailing beast. A second later, it too expelled its last breath and lay still. Aeris could just barely hear the conversation between the two men when Angeal rejoined Sephiroth at the side of the Black dragon.

"It looks like there is something imbedded in its side." Angeal said, running one hand over the dragon's hide. Sephiroth frowned and moved closer. His hand also inspecting the dead beast with a curious look.

"I know dragons are notorious for hiding items of value, but this seems a little extreme." Both men chuckled and Sephiroth used his knife to pull away some of the creature's thick exterior.

"It's a sword. " He said with a slightly awed voice. The two men worked together an quickly freed the object. Aeris slapped her hands over her mouth to cover her gasp as Sephiroth drew the infamous Masamune from the dragon's side. The blade gleamed even with the dark icor of the dragon still clinging to it. Pieces of materia winked from the hilt. With a twist of his wrist, Sephiroth deftly cut the air with the great weapon. His lips curved into a rare smile.

"It's perfect." He said and Aeris shuddered.

"I always wondered." Aeris whispered with the creeping fear edging along her spine. Masamune. She couldn't help but fear that sword.

"I'd never seen anything like it." Sephiroth said quietly next to her. His voice rising and falling with the memory. "The first time I held it in my hand, I knew that somehow it was made for me." Then he laughed softly, shaking his head. "That sounded stupid." Aeris only cast him a faint smile.

"Well we should..."

The sound of Angeal's scream broke of her words. Aeris and Sephiroth whipped around to see the Soldier collapse onto the ground. His body shook and convulsed under some force that none of the other three could see or feel. It has to be another one of Jenova's traps. Aeris burst from her hiding spot and darted across the grassy plain to where the two men were. She wasn't going to get their in time!

Then there was a metallic flash snapping through the air in a graceful arc.

Angeal's screaming ended as his head rolled away from his body.

Aeris stopped suddenly and the point of Masamune just barely touched underneath her jaw at the end of Sephiroth's swing.

The suddenness stunned her into silence. The younger Sephiroth had said that Angeal had been a friend. How? Why? She didn't understand how he could have just killed his friend without a second thought, with no hesitation at all. Then came the most insidious thought of all: Had she made the wrong choice in trying to save him?

But then he turned to look at her and she saw the sorrow in his eyes. It was a depth of pain Aeris understood very well since she had felt it many times before - the knowledge that something so intrinsically important to you had just been taken away, never to return.

"I couldn't risk him killing you, Aeris. He's just a memory of a man." Slowly the tip of Masamune lowered and with another snap of his wrist, Sephiroth divested Masamune of the blood upon it. "But it's close enough to the truth of how the end began, how everything started to unravel." With a great, harsh breath Sephiroth sheathed the mighty sword and Aeris' heartbeat slowed.

When the body dissipated, the older Sephiroth turned to them again. He was still too young to be the Sephiroth she remembered. His face not as hardened by time and circumstance. He had reached his full height though and the length of his silver hair now reached his hips.

It was so very strange to watch Sephiroth transform right before her eyes.

"Let's get this over with." The older one said. "We're running out of time."

Aeris turned towards his younger self and he smiled at her.

"I didn't think you could do this for us, make us whole again. But here you are proving me wrong. I'm sorry I doubted you Aeris and..." he paused, swallowing hard around the emotion stuck in his throat, "….thanks and be careful. You're close now. There's only one more of us left before you get to _HIM._ We'll protect you though. All of us." He took her hands in his and squeezed them tightly. Aeris nodded her understanding and bestowed upon him a radiant, teary smile. She felt the same sense of loss as she had with the boy, and understood it to be unnecessary.

Clasping one of his hands in hers, she reached out to the older Sephiroth and took one of his hands as well. Immediately the psychic chains on the older one appeared and this time they lashed out Aeris. Gritting her teeth, Aeris ignored the sensation as the swell of Planet's power filled every cell of her body, every empty space within her. Ever so slowly she pulled their hands together and did her best to ignore the ever increasing pain filling her body. This time the Jenova taint fought back. _But I haven't come this far to give up._ She thought, and when she brought their hands together, completing the spell, Aeris smiled in triumph.

_Take that you intergalactic bitch._

However that thought was followed by weak knees and sense of vertigo. Something kept her from falling down and it took her a long moment realize that Sephiroth supported the upper half of her body. When she looked up at him, she saw that his brow was furrowed in concern and felt that his grip on her was only enough to keep her from hitting the ground.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Aeris nodded, pushing off of his arm until she stood on her feet.

"I'm alright. " He didn't look convinced. "No, really I am. It's just that being in someone's mind for a long time is very draining, and it feels like I've been here for, well, a lifetime." He grinned at the joke and Aeris released a long sigh. She hadn't intentionally lied to him, but given the way the a mind works, or rather how fast it can work, made it impossible to really determine how much time had passed. It could be a minute, or an hour. There was just no way of knowing.

Though Aeris doubted time had as much to do with her sudden weakness as Jenova's taint. Still she wasn't going to tell him that fact. None of this would work if Sephiroth didn't trust her.

"We should hurry." He said, looking off into the distance.

"Of course we should." Aeris couldn't help the sarcasm in her tone and focused on mentally preparing herself for the last parts of her journey. Planet whispered words of assurance. Even though she couldn't fully understand them, she felt the intent and that was enough.

"Don't worry, we're going to take a short cut." He said with a grin before wrapping one arm around Aeris' waist. The contact disturbed her for reasons she didn't comprehend, and had no time to analyze. Sephiroth drew the Masamune again only this time he made two great slashes, X shaped, in the air followed by a circle around them. With a burst of power a vortex formed and without a word to her, Sephiroth catapulted them both into the heart of it.

Really, he should have warned a girl first.

The ride was unpleasant to say the very least. It felt like the swirl of power would turn her inside out and back again. Aeris clung to Sephiroth with nearly as much strength as he gripped her in return. Although she stopped looking at him when his face, by virtue of the power around them, contorted into shapes from the horrific to the downright bizarre. Then, with a gut wrenching jerk, the wild ride was over and they both stumbled onto a rough surface. Smoke filled her lungs and with wide, frightened eyes, Aeris looked around.

Nibelheim. It all came back to Nibelhiem. She clutched Sephiroth's arm, but he didn't seem to mind.

"They keep him in here - in his private hell. " There were people screaming and dying all around them and even though Aeris knew it was a memory, her heart sank and saddened at the sight before her.

"Wait is that...?" She trailed off, her eyes narrowing upon a ghostly form moving through the fires beyond them. Aeris jerked his arm as she bolted off through the dancing flames. A sudden impatience seized her and she gave little thought to her actions.

She had to find Sephiroth and finish this...NOW.

Their feet pounded on the beaten dirt and for once the sounds of the dying relented under the sound of the blood rushing through her ears. Yet no matter how fast she ran, how many corners she turned, or how many times she saw Sephiroth just beyond her in the fire, she could not catch him. Tears of frustration formed in her eyes and a sense of panic threatened to grip her heart. It was Sephiroth that finally stopped her with a shout.

"Aeris!" She halted, nearly falling over again. "It's not him. Well... it _is_ him, but it's just a projection. It's what they make him relive. But they hid him somewhere. We've never been able to figure out just where. " Her heart calmed and Aeris forced herself to get a grip on her stampeding emotions.

"Right." She said breathlessly, slowly taking stock of her surroundings.

The fire's height and expanse made it nearly impossible to see much of the town. Everything was on fire and the thick smoke coiled around them in rolling waves. She remembered her second encounter with Sephiroth. It had been in this very spot, near the water tower in the center of town.

"He brought you here to establish a better connection." Sephiroth said as if he'd read her mind. "By finding similar memories he was able to forge a link between you and himself, but it had to be here, in this memory where they forced him to stay or the connection would never have been very strong at all." Aeris swallowed hard and offered no response to his words. It wasn't that she didn't have questions - oh did she ever - but now wasn't the time, and he wasn't the one that she needed to ask.

"The mansion, that's where they're keeping him." He raised a brow, skeptical as always.

"You're sure about that."

"Where else would be better? It was the critical point, wasn't it? The place where everything changed."

"You have a point." He said and she could tell that he did not want to step foot in that place.

"You wait here." She said with a light touch on his arm. "I can handle this."

"No," Sephiroth drew Masamune with a grim set to his lips, "this is my fight as well as yours." Aeris shut out the sounds of the victims and the apparition of Sephiroth moving through the fires, dispatching people as he went along. She turned and trudged up the old stone steps that led out of the town proper and to the winding path leading up to the Shinra mansion. Her nose stung from the acrid smoke filling air and the heat remained steady on her back until they'd reached the gates of the mansion. Where she couldn't budge the decrepit, iron structure, Sephiroth pushed it open easily with one hand though the metal gate groaned in protest of his rough handling.

The closer she drew to the towering manse, the more the feeling of foreboding increased. This was a place of secrets in reality as well as inside Sephiroth's mind. In here futures had been crafted together by science and magic, and those same futures had been viciously ripped apart and remade in pain and blood.

Zach

Cloud

Vincent

Sephiroth

Lucrecia

Aeris doubted those names to be all the list contained. There were many other names: men and women forced into Hojo's experimentation. Had their families ever known? Or had their loved ones just vanished overnight? Aeris' jaw tensed into a hard and unforgiving line. So many lives destroyed and for what? In the end what had all of that madness created except more destruction, more meaningless death? Without realizing it, Aeris ran up the front the steps and rammed her shoulder into the door. It shuddered once and gave way with a high pitched creak. A swirl of Mako energy cast about in the interior, clouding the way with a milky green hue. Every step she took stirred up eddies of dust from the worn carpet and every step elicited a noise from the old boards underneath the flooring.

In the energy, faces formed and then vanished. Aeris didn't recognize those faces but she didn't doubt that they were the visages of the dead. She wanted to ask who they were, where they were from, but the insensitivity of such questioning wasn't lost on her. Whoever they were, her questions couldn't erase their fate. Aeris' fist clenched and unclenched at her side and _Gods_ how she wished she had her staff. She missed its comforting weight resting in her palms.

With a sigh, she headed for the stairs and Sephiroth trailed silently after her. Did he see the ghosts in the Mako mist? Did he recognize them? Aeris glanced over her shoulder to look at her companion. His lips were drawn into a tight line bordering on a grimace and his hand encircled Masamune's hilt in an unyielding grip. Maybe he didn't know these specters' faces by name, but he knew what they had been and what they meant to him. Aeris stopped midway on the curving double stairs and waited patiently for Sephiroth to catch up to her. He almost passed her without even realizing it.

But her hand reached out and touched his free arm lightly. He turned and looked at her with a startled expression on his once grim countenance. Her gentle smile curved her lips as her hand squeezed his arm ever so slightly. It was the in the space of time defined by her hand falling back to her side that the tension in him eased a fraction and he allowed the corner of his mouth to quirk. Neither spoke a word, and both of them turned and made their way up the rickety stairs once again.

It didn't take her long to find the rock wall that most people would assume to be nothing more than an old chimney. Aeris ran her hands along the uneven stones searching for...

"AHAH!" She exclaimed, pushing the tiny and nearly round stone into the crevice, twisting it forty-five degrees right, and then pulling it out again. A section of the wall grunted as the old gears and belts moved to life. Dust scattered in every direction as the piece of stone sank back and then rolled to the side revealing a long set of derelict stairs leading down.

"Are you ready?" She looked over her shoulder at the silent Sephiroth. He only nodded his ascent though he did move in front of her. His greater bulk acted as an effective shield against anything that might come up from bellow.

A curious thought crossed her mind just then. Was this simply who Sephiroth had been before Jenova, or was she simply to important to him to not protect? Once again she found herself in the inappropriate place and time to ask such a probing question. The stairs were beyond, old and in a horrible state of disrepair, just as she remembered from the actual mansion. The treacherous decent required all of her concentration. Aeris leaned a little towards the stone wall surrounding them, using one hand on its surface for additional support.

The chill in the damp air made her shiver and the lack of reliable lighting forced Aeris to narrow her eyes against the uncertain flickers of illumination. So it wasn't surprising when she mis-stepped, let out a horrendous shriek, and fell off the small, broken stair she'd been trying to navigate. Of course the panic really set in when she didn't feel Sephiroth's hand grab her in some form or fashion.

_Great!_ She thought with a rather insane sounding mental laugh. _This is how it ends!_

_Thump._ Her feet hit the ground. Relief! Followed by embarrassment flooded through Aeris. She'd had no idea they'd almost reached the bottom of the stairs. The soft, deep chuckle coming from Sephiroth told her that he had been well aware of their position. She shot him a nasty look before marching determinedly down the narrow path. Dealing with his amusement didn't appeal to her right now, so she picked up her pace and, with a little preparation from Planet, blew down the door leading to the main laboratory and library in the house.

All thoughts of anger fled her mind. All the color drained from her face. The door opened up into a dark void that contained a single shaft of dirty red light. In that dim glow his hair looked less like silver and resembled dried blood. His pale features were hidden under the massive length of his hair.

There was Sephiroth standing on the tips of his boots. Heavy chains held his legs and ankles and ran up his body and over his shoulders. Thick manacles encircled his wrists and pulled his arms out and up with the help of more chains that ran up through the darkness to points unknown. With his head slumped to his chest, he gave the impression of a dead man.

Scraps of paper flew around him, in and out of the light, as well as the ghosts of the dead.

"_Murderer..."_

_"Abomination..."_

_"Too good for you..."_

_"Evil scourge..."_

_"You're not worthy... filth..."_

_Beast. Anathema. Plague bearer. _The quiet whispers went on and in through the room, coming from every direction. Sephiroth's ghosts heaped his crimes upon his head without pausing for breathe. Yet the truth, upon Aeris' closer inspection, was even more insidious. Every word quite literally sliced into Sephiroth. Sometimes the tear went no deeper than his clothes, most of the time his flesh split under the weight of accusations flung at him.

"She used his guilt against him...us... more effectively than anything Hojo was ever able to think up to keep us in line." The Sephiroth next to her drew in a deep, shaky breath. "When she entered his mind, she hit him where he was the weakest and, like glass, he fractured and broke into pieces. She sorted through the pieces and picked out what she liked best, piecing together _HIM_ and hiding the rest of us away. Then she locked him in here, and since he was the only one who could possible challenge _HIM _or her, she shut him up in this prison, where his guilt would keep him docile."

Sephiroth paused in his speech, but Aeris sensed that he wasn't finished. She did not look at him though. Every fiber of her being seemed to be focused on Sephiroth in the middle of the red light. He lifted his head, giving her the first indication that he wasn't dead and his cat-like green eyes locked on hers. She could still hear the Sephiroth beside her, but his voice faded to hushed whisper in her ear.

"We all felt his self-flagellation. Do you know what that was like? We could all feel the others and what they went through, but none of us had it as bad as him. But we couldn't break out of our own prisons. Then it was like a damn miracle. You'll have to ask him for the full detail, we only felt the vibrations of the first time he encountered your mind. All of sudden we could hear him, even if barely. He helped us get stronger and told us that help was coming and soon we'd be out of here. Looking at him now though... I can't... I can't see how he had the strength."

His explanation brought up more questions than it answered. Aeris set her expression, gathered her courage.

"It doesn't matter how. Come on. It's time to free you all from this hell."

And Aeris marched forward.

A/N: Don't worry over the mention of Angeal, I'm not going to delve into the Crisis Core universe much more than that. Angeal was a convenient person to use given his connection with Sephiroth. So "Into the the Abyss" will officially be in three parts. Heh. We are nearing the end of our journey. Next up will be the battle between Sephiroth and HIM. Thanks again to everyone who commented on the story. I love reading them!


	16. Into the Abyss Part Three

**The Last Temptation**

**Chapter 16: Into the Abyss Part Three**

*****A HUGE thank you goes out to Lady Kaliska for all of her insights on this chapter.****

_"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness." John 12:46_

"_Darkness always had its part to play. Without it, how would we know when we walked in the light? It's only when its ambitions become too grandiose that it must be opposed, disciplined, sometimes—if necessary—brought down for a time. Then it will rise again, as it must." - Clive Barker, Abarat **_

* * *

She didn't have to ask. The younger Sephiroth used Masamune to precise effect in cutting the chains. However when, Sephiroth's weight slumped forward, it was upon Aeris that he landed. The Cetra groaned out an 'umph' as his much larger body collided with hers, but somehow she managed to keep them both from falling over.

"You came." He said in a tone that conveyed a very deep disbelief. Aeris only smiled and nodded at him. It took a moment for Sephiroth to gain his feet.

"Here." The younger one said, holding out Masamune to his older self. Sephiroth took it in hand and he seemed relieved to once again be in the possession of his sword. The two stood in place, staring at each with some unspoken communication that Aeris did not understand.

"Aeris," the older one intoned, his silver head turning to look at her. Now, standing on his own volition and looking very much alive, his appearance struck her full force. There was no madness in his eyes, though they still had the same living green irises and black cat slits, his hair flowed around him reaching nearly to his knees in the longest sections. She shivered, watching as he sheathed Masamune with such casual elegance. _No one should move like that._ She thought, wrapping her arms around herself. What change would take him once she performed this final merge?

The implications were slightly frightening, but she answered him anyway.

"Yes?"

"Are you ready?" Yes, despite the fact that she could feel the Jenova taint crawling beneath her skin like tiny living wires, she was ready. However she left all of those _extraneous_ details unsaid and merely nodded. The two men turned to face each other and Aeris had to force herself to move forward and stop studying the differences between the two of them. Now was not the time to get distracted.

Still she approached them slowly, reaching out her hands to them at the same time. She felt the strength of their grips; saw the look of raw determination in their eyes. There was no fear in them at all. It was a humbling and elating moment. The younger Sephiroth drew her attention when his lips curved into a ghost of a smile.

"You know, I never would have thought that someone like you would be the one that saved us. I doubted, and I'm sorry. Maybe the truth is that you were always the only one who could. Thank you Aeris." His words brought the tickling of tears to her eyes and she wanted to savor that strangely bittersweet moment. Instead she started the spell that would pull the taint into her and assimilate the two of them. When she squeezed his hand, the white-green light flowed up from her feet and wrapped around her body.

The curious energy, Planet's energy, spiraled down her arms and reached their hands. It flowed over the younger Sephiroth in a gentle wave, for she had already pulled the taint out of him. However, the older Sephiroth's hand clenched hers and his jaw set in a line of clear pain. She could see the taint underneath his skin, moving along his veins at a frenzied pace. Aeris switched her concentration to him, locking her eyes with his. Planet's energy seeped in through his skin, creating a conduit through which she forcibly pulled the Jenova taint out of Sephiroth. His eyes widened when he realized just what it was she was doing.

"Aeris, no!"

She only gripped his hand tighter, gritting her teeth.

"Don't fight her." Came his younger voice from her right. "It's a lot harder for her if you fight it." He didn't say the word, but his voice echoed believe, have faith.

His hand relaxed and the moment he stopped struggling against the magic, Jenova's taint roared through the connection, hitting Aeris hard. Still she didn't let go. Couldn't let go.

_Almost...don't stop...have to hold on._

"Do it now." She painted as the world spun in front of her eyes. The Sephiroth at her right, reached out and took the other's hand, drawing them closer together until the magic surrounding them both meshed in a riot of energy, pulling them ever closer together. The radiance was blinding when the synthesis completed. Sephiroth fully merged, encased her now empty hand with his larger one as the magic of Planet and Ancients swirled around them in resplendent, harmonic glory.

The pain of the taint faded into the background and Aeris looked up at Sephiroth, smiling at the look of deliverance on his face. It was rapturous and a small voice in Aeris' head that quietly said - _You did it._ He looked at her then, his hands drawing her closer to him. There was a look of tempered wonder in his eyes as he lifted one hand and touched her cheek. The black leather felt smooth and cool against her hot skin, creating a drowsy sensation she that she knew she wasn't able to indulge.

"I'd hoped, but I'd never left myself really believe." He said and she understood both the words he chose to say and the ones he did not. "What have I done to deserve this kind of mercy?" The question hung in the air between them.

"Everyone deserves hope, Sephiroth. Besides its not like I did this myself. You're the one who contacted me and led me here. If you hadn't..." _I would be dead_. She swallowed hard.

"That night you went into Cloud's mind, that's the first time I felt you. I think maybe we met inside the Lifestream, and I experienced so much light. It seemed impossible that one person could contain it all. I had to reach you again and see if I was right. The more I talked to you, the more that I knew I was right. You're very brave." Now that did start the tears and she couldn't look him the eyes anymore.

"No, I'm really not. I'm pretty selfish if you think about it. It wasn't supposed to happen like this and if I had failed with you..." She trailed off, unwilling to think about the fate of the world had she failed. "I just...it just wasn't fair."

Slowly, hesitantly Sephiroth drew her closer, folding her into him for a closer contact. It was obvious he wasn't accustomed to such gestures and it brought the strangest of laughs to her lips. A laugh that turned into a great flood of tears - relief, sadness, guilt, elation, joy, all her fears, all her uncertainty - everything that she had hidden from the world broke through the carefully constructed walls and the mask she'd worn for so long. Aeris cried in Sephiroth's arms and he only held her head to his shoulder, her face pillowed in his hair. Did he realize? Did he know that so many of these tears were for him and because him?

"I was hard on you, Aeris. I asked so much of you. I shouldn't have. But after feeling the warmth in you and seeing all that light, I didn't want to be the one to snuff it out. Maybe everything else I've done could have be forgiven, but my soul would have really been damned to Hell if I'd killed you. I'm the selfish one. I think that the fact that we're even here proves that point. I'm sorry." Yes he did know and that only made the tears fall faster until she hiccupped out her cries. When his arms tightened around, her she felt safe. When one hand stroked over her matted hair, she felt at peace. When he leaned his head against hers, Aeris thought she might want to stay in this moment forever.

Somewhere, somehow in all of this mess - in all of the dreams and the journey of his mind - Aeris had come to care for Sephiroth. It would be easy to say that she cared for everyone, but she knew this was different. It was closer to the way she'd felt for Cloud and Zach - maybe it was even the same. Except that this was far more intimate. They had been in each other's minds. They had shared their joys and sorrows and the deepest, darkest places in their hearts. While she felt a little guilty about the depth of her emotions, she accepted them like she did everything else, because denying them would be to deny the soul wearying journey they'd traveled both separately and together.

Finally her tears abated and she wiped her eyes on her sleeve, feeling a bit silly and childish for crying all over him. She noticed that he hadn't released her and that she still hand one arm tucked against him and that hand and snuck up under his hair and rested on the curve of his neck. The familiarity of the moment caused her to blush deeply and she looked up to stammer out an apology. She hadn't expected his head to be close enough that she could feel each breath he exhaled move over her skin. Had his eyes always been that clear and brilliant?

Then the light around them faded abruptly. With its departure, the pain in Aeris body - no, in her very soul returned full force. With a strangled yell, her knees gave way - once again Sephiroth kept her from falling down.

"Aeris!" Nope, it's never good when the greatest military tactician of your age sounds that worried. He crouched on the ground and held her against him. "This was too much for you. I have to take the taint back. You aren't built to handle this." She stopped him with a hand to his cheek and a weak smile.

"I'll be fine, Sephiroth. Besides, there's another problem you need to take care of right now." She looked over his shoulder and then he did the same. Standing behind them was _HIM_ - the Sephiroth Jenova had created to complete her plans. _His_ lips twisted into an expression of maniacal glee.

"Well, well, it's not everyday that I get to kill two birds with one stone." _His_ eyes landed on Sephiroth and narrowed. "You've been quite the pain in the ass for Mother and I. You think we didn't know about her little ritual for Holy? Did you really believe that we didn't know what you _really_ were trying to do when you reached out to this little bitch?" _He_ laughed and the sound filled the room and sent a frigid chill down Aeris' spine.

"Well we knew. In fact we encouraged it without you knowing. She doesn't complete her little spell, Mother gets to kill the interfering little shit through the taint, and I get to put you back in your place." _His_ eyes narrowed at them and Aeris flinched from the look of sick joy on _his_ face. "Maybe I'll even play around with the little tramp after I chain you, and your insufferable pride, back up. Just think, _Brother_, of how much more fun your private, little corner of Abaddon will be now that you know that you led her right into our hands. I mean before she would have been just as dead, but she probably could have generated enough of Holy to stop us. But now?" _He_ laughed again with even more malice than before.

"Now she's just going to die in the most horrible way I can think to kill her, _Brother_, and you get a front row seat." _He_ pointed Masamune at Sephiroth. "Now get up, you sanctimonious shit!"

"Aeris," Sephiroth placed her gently on the ground and took off his long coat, wrapping it around her, "rest. I won't be long." She heard the steel in his voice but as he moved to turn on his adversary, Aeris grabbed his hand.

"Be careful. I'd really hate to think that I came all this way..." She couldn't finish the thought and he regarded her with a solemn expression.

"Even if I die here, Aeris, I will get you out and back to your friends safely. If I die here, my body and that bastard will die with me. No matter what happens, I won't be a threat to you anymore. You'll just have Mo...Jenova with which to contend." He squeezed her hand and then rose to his feet, Masamune scraping the floor as he drew it up over his head. Sephiroth looked at his doppelganger and Aeris read the determination and hatred in his expression.

"I've had to listen to your pathetic, power hungry delusions for over five years now. It's time that I shut you up."

_CLANG...SNNKKKTTTT_. Aeris swore she felt the vibrations of their swords crossing all the way in her teeth. They glared out each other over their crossed swords; _he_ with a twisted grin and Sephiroth with a lazy smirk. As similar as they looked, Aeris could tell them apart easily. Sephiroth didn't have that shade of deathly paleness and eyebrows that didn't bend with a constant air of disdain. They even carried themselves differently. Sephiroth remained composed - his motions, though flawless, consumed no more energy than necessary; while the other had an element of wild energy that made _his_ blows more forceful perhaps, but not as precise.

_He_ slashed and Sephiroth absorbed the force of _his_ blow on Masamune, though it scooted him back an inch or two on the ground. With a powerful thrust of his sword arm, Sephiroth forced his opponent's sword high, giving him a spare moment to unleash a wicked slash. _He_ was fast enough to move. Well almost. A bright well of blood sprung up from _his_ chest and ribbons of the vicious liquid ran down the black leather coat, staining it darker.

With a furious spin and a snarl, _he_ attacked again with a series of lightening fast blows that drove Sephiroth back and to the side as he met the doppleganger's blade time and time again.

_Clash!_

_Clang!_

_Snnnkkktttt!_

The last however caught Sephiroth on the arm, drawing a look of pain and anger to his features. _He_ smirked with a mocking bow in Sephiroth's direction.

"I've gotten better, Brother. Have you?" Sephiroth, struck out again and sparks flew from the blades as they pressed and twisted - each one trying to gain the advantage.

"You're arrogance will be your undoing."

"Funny that you should talk about arrogance, since it was your arrogance that landed you here!" An explosion of fire left _his_ hand.

Aeris blinked, trying to clear the spots from her vision and the lessen the grip of fear around her heart. She should leave... now. It would be the prudent thing to do. However should and would are two different things, and she wouldn't leave Sephiroth alone in this battle. Shakily she got to her knees, trying to summon her strength.

_He_ sprung up into the darkness above them with Sephiroth right behind _him_. Both of them flipped through the air in a flurry of motion too fast for Aeris to follow. Swords clashes echoed in the area followed by grunts and growls that could have come from the throat of either man. It killed her to not know what was going on in the black above her. What she could hear didn't alleviate the fast beat of her heart. Spells sailed over her head in brilliant bursts of color and clanging, discordant noise. Who had the advantage? She couldn't know and the unknowing lay like a leaden weight in her chest.

Sephiroth pushed off the wall with his feet, Masamune curved across his body to leave only small openings for his adversary. He met Sephiroth in the air, sparks flying from their swords. _His_ doppelganger did not expect the vicious left cross Sephiroth dealt him. A blow that sent _him_ plummeting to the ground with Sephiroth on top of _him_. With their swords locked and Sephiroth in the dominant position, he continued to rain brutal punches on his opponent. Only when they got close to the ground did Sephiroth kick off of _him_, flipping graceful through the air and landing on his feet.

_He_ hit the ground with enough force to crack upon the stone beneath _him_. It only took a moment for _him_ to gain _his_ feet.

Suddenly Sephiroth was behind his opponent and managed to wound _him_ again. However his adversary rounded on him quickly and it was only Sephiroth's quick feet that allowed him to turn and avoid the full brunt of Masamune. The sword cut his leg deeply. Sephiroth grimaced though his expression barely moved his lips.

"You've never fought for anything past your own strength." _Slash_. Sephiroth spun, missing the blow, but Aeris could tell that his movement was slower this time. "Do you really think you can have a happy ending?"

_He_ sent a twist of _Black Dragon's Fire_ at Sephiroth. The flames enveloped him in darkness.

"Do you think that this weak woman can turn you into something else? Do you think she can erase the fact that you are a killer?" The darkness exploded and hurled back at _him_ with frightening speed. The doppelganger's mouth opened in shock as he brought up Masamune. The Fire bit at him, opening up great welt on his skin. It burned away most of the dark overcoat from his body.

"Do you think you can really beat me?" Sephiroth answered _his_ questions with a question and the implication escaped Aeris at the moment. He was weak and Aeris knew this must end soon for him to emerge the victor. Her heart leapt into her throat and she prayed. _Please, oh Gods, please._

It happened so fast that she almost missed it. _He_ managed to knock Masamune out of the Sephiroth's hand. The great blade skidded across the floor. Sephiroth weaved in and out of his opponent's path, trying to work his way back to the sword and taking a considerable amount of damage in the attempt. He backed up, panting and holding one arm. His face grim.

"Yes, I really think I can."

_"Planet please... HELP ME!"_ Her heart cried as she reached out for the sword laying just a few agonizing feet from her. A surge of energy careened through her body and her finger tips closed around the blade. With a grunt, she flung the sword across the floor where it whirred in mad circles toward Sephiroth just as _he_ went to strike the final, deciding blow. Sephiroth quickly stepped on the hilt of the sword, sending it flipping up in the air. With a twist he turned, catching the hilt behind his back and with the same eerie grace she'd witnessed before he struck out. The hilt hit _him_ right in the gut and the blade twisted in Sephiroth hand before it opened up _his_ chest and sent _his_ Masaume into the wall.

With Planet's strength still humming in her veins, Aeris pushed herself to her feet and half ran, half stumbled to the two men. Sephiroth was about to kill _him_.

"Wait!" Aeris screamed, grabbing Sephiroth's hand. "You can't!" Because she understood that this was a part of Sephiroth as well, as much as she hated it. Without waiting for either of them to respond, much less for her flagging strength to fail, Aeris grabbed onto _him_ and began the final spell. _He_ fought with all of _his_ might and Aeris struggled only to find that her attempts met with failure.

Despair and then enlightenment.

She wasn't just fighting _him_, she was fighting herself: she didn't want to merge this evil, this darkness back into Sephiroth. It scared her but... Everyone was a mix of light and dark, of good and evil. Those extremes bled into multifaceted shades of gray, and in that gray was the struggle and triumph of life. Aeris understood. Sephiroth could not be himself without his darkness any more than she could be herself without Planet. So Aeris released her fear into the ether and opened up to everything that Sephiroth was. She saw it in him - the same understanding. He merely nodded his head once. With her heart opened up so completely and without reservation, she accepted him, all of him, into her warmth, her light, and for one breathtaking moment, two souls merged into one.

When the light died, Aeris crumpled against Sephiroth again. Her breathing shallow. The pain no longer bothered her quite so much now, but she thought it was so because she was so very, very tired. He pulled her against him, cradled her on his lap and once more draped his coat over her.

"We need to go." He murmured gently, his gaze studying her face intently.

"Are you," she coughed, wincing at the tightness in her chest, "are you free?" He smiled so softly at her, stroking her cheek with the back of his fingers with a sadness in his eyes that remained a mystery to her.

"Yes," he said, "you saved me." Her eyes closed and Aeris smiled, peace settling inside her in a slow, pleasant wave.

"I'm glad. I..." She opened her eyes again with words she did not know if she should say on the tip of her tongue. "Can we just, stay here for a little while?" The sorrow in his eyes increased and he shook his head.

"We're running out of time." He said and the sorrow in his voice was as clear as in his eyes. Her brow knit in confusion.

"I don't..." But she never got the chance to finish the thought, because suddenly he was kissing her. He'd instigated the kiss suddenly but softly. His lips roving over hers with such a light touch. To her surprise, her hands coiled around his neck, pulling herself closer with a whimper generated from the overwhelming swell of emotion his actions caused. Unlike her earlier crying bout though, she felt free and buoyant - like champagne bubbles bursting in her head or ocean water splashing over her feet. He held her tighter and pulled her closer with one hand tangled in her hair, supporting her head.

When he nipped her lower lip, Aeris opened her mouth greedily, pulling his lower lip in between hers before returning to a more thorough exploration of his mouth. His tongue tickled hers and even though she was tired, beaten down, and still in pain - Aeris would not have traded this moment for anything other moment in the world. Tears stained her cheeks again and her heart felt full, near to bursting. His body was warm, alive, and coiled around her in a way she never would have dreamed of, but could not reject. _We're alive, WE'RE ALIVE!_ The thought kept dancing around in her on waves of exuberance.

When he pulled away and buried his face in the curve of her neck, Aeris whined in displeasure. She thought he felt him smile against her skin, but when he lifted his head, his expression was grave. Slowly he thumbed the wetness from her cheeks and studied her like he was trying to commit every detail of her face to memory.

"We're out of time, Aeris. Just," he closed his eyes and agony sharpened his features before he opened them, "choose me, Aeris."

All the warmth fled her as realization reared its head and shot down her spine like cold lightening.

"No... !" She screamed, and she thought maybe she saw tears in his eyes as the world faded into nothing.

* * *

A/N: Some random thoughts here. 1.) At the line "I've had to listen to your pathetic, power hungry delusions for over five years now. It's time that I shut you up." I always hear some type of Metal starts blaring in my head and usually turned on some Disturbed to write the section of HIS and Sephiroth's fight. In fact I listened predominately to Disturbed's Warrior, Papa Roach's Last Resort, Drowning Pool's Bodies (always good butt-kickery music), Redlight King's Bullet In My Hand, and Disturbed's Enemy, while writing that section. 2.) The quote from Clive Barker really fits much of this story to a tee, plus I lurve me some Barker stories. I highly recommend "The Thief of Always" to any horror lovers out there. 3.) I'm starting to wonder if I should change the genre to "Spiritual", especially after this chapter. 4.) Again much thanks to Lady Kaliska. I might have agonized over this chapter for a year had she not provided her insight. Enjoy everyone!


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